WIN-ECW: Cause and Effect Composition

NO MORE OBESE KIDS IN THE USA
(cause and effect composition)

(introductory paragraph) New York, Dec. 26th, 2060. The last American overweight kid has lost weight! Five years ago, about 80% of American children were morbidly obese. American children were getting fatter and fatter because mostly ate junk food and didn’t exercise at all. The government decided to do something drastic: they closed down all of the junk food factories and fast food restaurants and outlawed all children’s TV programs and computer games, introducing the obligatory 2-hour daily exercise. That’s was the only way to get American children back to health. The result: there are no more overweight children in America.

(the situation before) Too many American children were overweight. There were many reasons for that: they ate too much junk food that was high in calories, sugar and fat. An average child consumed about 3000 extra calories in junk food, eating probably about 500g of terrible food. Another reason for children’s obesity was that they hardly got any exercise and spent too much time in front of the TV or playing computer games, on average about 6 hours a day. They barely moved anywhere.

(the event: what happened?) In 2005, the Government decided to do something drastic: they closed down all factories that were producing junk food. Also, all MacDonald’s shops, Taco Bells, KFC’s, Burger Kings – closed down forever. In their place, new factories and restaurants that produced only high-quality, healthy food were open. Kids can no longer enjoy Mars Bars and Snickers. Instead they can buy packages of sliced apples or carrots, as well as tiny containers of nuts and dry fruit. If they go to MacDonalds’s the only food they can order are salads and low-fat foods. They cannot buy computer games and TV sets anymore. They also had to give their old ones to the government. Special forces, men dressed in vegetable-patterned uniforms, went from home to home, destroying and taking away kids’ gadgets. Instead, kids could buy and have fun on trampolines, exercise balls and other gym equipment. Also, the law forced the parents to bring their children for daily 2-hour exercise sessions at their local gyms.

(the situation after) Five years after the program was introduced, the obesity rate has dramatically gone down. Now it is non-existent. The last obese child, Chubby Chubbs from New York, reached his healthy weight yesterday. There was a huge party organized in his honour and in honour of all newly slim kids. The Mayor of New York was present. However, it was a party with no junk food and sugary juices – only fresh fruits and veggies. The children, looking very healthy, fit and full of energy were running around and jumping up and down. When asked if they miss computer games and junk food, some confessed that they still did a little, while other, the younger kids, didn’t even know what these were. In conclusion, the controversial government program to stop the child obesity in the USA seems to have brought wonderful results.

Direct and Indirect Speech


When using indirect or reported speech, the form changes.

Usually indirect speech is introduced by the verb said, as in I said, Bill said, or they said. Using the verb say in this tense, indicates that something was said in the past. In these cases, the main verb in the reported sentence is put in the past. If the main verb is already in a past tense, then the tense changes to another past tense; it can almost be seen as moving even further into the past.
Verb tense changes also characterize other situations using indirect speech. Note the changes shown in the chart and see the table below for examples. With indirect speech, the use of that is optional.
However, many verbs can be used to introduce indirect speech:

add
admit
answer
argue
assure
boast
complain
deny
explain
grumble
object
observe
point out
promise
remark
remind
reply
remind

Direct Speech into Indirect Speech:

simple present to simple past:
He said, “I go to school every day.”

He said (that) he went to school every day.

simple past to past perfect
He said, “I went to school every day.”
He said (that) he had gone to school every day.


present perfect past perfect

He said, “I have gone to school every day.”
He said (that) he had gone to school every day.

present progressive to past progressive
He said, “I am going to school every day.”
He said (that) he was going to school every day.

past progressive to perfect progressive
He said, “I was going to school every day.”
He said (that) he had been going to school every day,

future (will) to would + verb name
He said, “I will go to school every day.”
He said (that) he would go to school every day.

future (going to) to present progressive
He said, “I am going to school every day.”
He said (that) he is going to school every day.

past progressive remains the same
He said, "I had been going to school every day."
He said (that) he was going to school every day
Direct Speech

Questions in indirect speech:

present to simple past
He said, “Do you go to school every day?”
He asked me if I went to school every day
He said, “Where do you go to school?”
He asked me where I went to school.

imperative to infinitive:
He said, “Go to school every day.”
He said to go to school every day.

*Note than when a Yes/No question is being asked in direct speech, then a construction with if or whether is used and there is a change in word order.
"Do you go to school?", he asked.
He asked me if I went to school.
"When do you go to school?" , he asked.
He asked me when I went to school.


If a WH question is being asked, then use the WH to introduce the clause. Also note that with indirect speech, these are examples of embedded questions.

If instead of the verb 'said' another form of the very say is used, the tenses usually remain the same.
simple present + simple present
He says, “I go to school every day.”
He says (that) he goes to school every day.

MODAL VERBS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Another situation is the one in which modal constructions are used. If the verb said is used, then the form of the modal, or another modal that has a past meaning is used.

can to could
He said, “I can go to school every day.”
He said (that) he could go to school every day.
may to might
He said, “I may go to school every day.”
He said (that) he might go to school every day.

must and have to change to had to
He said, “I must go to school every day.”
He said (that) he had to go to school every day.
He said, “I have to go to school every day.”
He said (that) he had to go to school.
should, ought to remain the same:
He said: "I should study harder."
He said that he should study harder.
*****************Practice****************************
Ask your partner the following sentences, and report the answers in indirect speech.

Reported Speech Questionnaire

Name:

1. What is your favourite food?

2. What is your favourite football team?

3. What is your favourite pop group?

4. What is your favourite colour?

5. Where do you live?

6. Have you always lived in Seoul? If not where else?

Now I would you like you to tell me all of these things in reported speech.
Try to use connectives.

e.g. He said his favourite football team was Newcastle and his favourite colour was blue.

WIN-ECW, Dec. 26th. About My Partner Article Model

Your homework for tomorrow is to write a magazine article about the partner you interiviewed. Look at pages 27 for your partner's answers, 28 for a model of the magazine article, and 29 for the outline of the article. Then write an article about your partner that will have three paragraphs:
1. who your partner is today (2016), what he or she does.
2. how did your partner get to be so successful
3. what personal characteristics have helped him or her to become so successful

Paragraph 1:

Bianca is a famous best-selling author and a respected professor of literature at the University of Toronto. She’s published numerous bestselling and award-winning books. She also teaches and attends literary conferences where she talks about books and literature.

Paragraph 2: the road to success

She has been a writer since childhood. First, she had a diary, then a blog. Her blog was noticed by a publisher, and she was offered a book deal. The first book became a best-seller. Then it was followed by many others. At the same time, she started her Ph. D. in literature and finished within 4 years. The U of T offered her a position, and now she is teaching there full time, while writing when she has time.

Paragraph 3: characteristics that led her to success

First of all she is creative. She likes to read and write. Second, she likes to observe people and write about their emotions and their personal dramas. Third, she is hard-working. She always gets up at 4:00 a.m. and writes until about noon. Her days are very busy with meetings, teaching, traveling, etc. She never goes to bed before midnight.

WIN-ECW: Conjunctions and Connecting Adverbs

A conjunction may be used to indicate the relationship between the ideas expressed in a clause and the ideas expressed in the rest of a sentence. The conjunctions in the following examples are printed in bold type.e.g.

*We could go to the library, or we could go to the park.
* He neither finished his homework nor studied for the test. I went out because the sun was shining.

1. Coordinate conjunctions


Coordinate conjunctions are used to join two similar grammatical constructions; for instance, two words, two phrases or two clauses.

e.g.

*My friend and I will attend the meeting.
*Austria is famous for the beauty of its landscape and the hospitality of its people.
*The sun rose and the birds began to sing.

In these examples, the coordinate conjunction and is used to join the two words "friend and I," the two phrases "the beauty of its landscape and the hospitality of its people," and the two clauses" the sun rose and the birds began to sing."

The most commonly used coordinate conjunctions are and, but and or. In addition, the words nor and yet may be used as coordinate conjunctions. In the following table, each coordinate conjunction is followed by its meaning and an example of its use. Note the use of inverted word order in the clause beginning with nor.
Coordinate Conjunctions

and: in addition
She tried and succeeded.
but: however
They tried but did not succeed.
or: alternatively
Did you go out or stay at home?
nor: and neither
I did not see it, nor did they.
yet: however
The sun is warm, yet the air is cool.

As illustrated above, when a coordinate conjunction joins two verbs which have the same subject, the subject need not be repeated. For instance, in the example she tried and succeeded, the pronoun she acts as the subject for both the verb tried and the verb succeeded. It should also be noted that when a coordinate conjunction joins two verbs which do not have the same subject, the two coordinate clauses may be separated by a comma or semicolon, in order to make the meaning clear.

2. Correlative conjunctions



Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs, in order to show the relationship between the ideas expressed in different parts of a sentence. For instance, in the following example, the expression either ... or is used to indicate that the ideas expressed in the two clauses represent two alternative choices of action.

e.g. Either you should study harder, or you should take a different course.The most commonly used correlative conjunctions are both ... and, either ... or and neither ... nor. In the table below, each pair of correlative conjunctions is accompanied by an example of its use. Note that in the construction if ... then, the word then can usually be omitted.
Correlative Conjunctions

both ... and
He is both intelligent and good-natured.
either ... or
I will either go for a walk or read a book.
neither ... nor
He is neither rich nor famous.
hardly ... when
He had hardly begun to work, when he was interrupted.
if ... then
If that is true, then what happened is not surprising.
no sooner ... than
No sooner had I reached the corner, than the bus came.
not only ... but also
She is not only clever, but also hard-working.
rather ... than
I would rather go swimming than go to the library.
scarcely ... when
Scarcely had we left home, when it started to rain.
what with ... and
What with all her aunts, uncles and cousins, she has many relatives.
whether ... or
Have you decided whether you will come or not?


3. Subordinate conjunctions


Subordinate clauses may begin with relative pronouns such as that, what, whatever, which, who and whom, as well as with words such as how, when, where, wherever and why. In the following examples, the subordinate clauses are underlined.

e.g. *The house, which stood on a hill, could be seen for miles.
*I wonder how he did that.

In addition, subordinate clauses may also begin with words which are commonly referred to as subordinate conjunctions. In the following examples, the subordinate conjunctions are printed in bold type.
e.g. Because it was cold, I wore my winter coat.
Let us wait until the rain stops.T

he subordinate conjunctions below are accompanied by their meanings and examples of use.

Subordinate Conjunctions

As
1. because: As he is my friend, I will help him.
2. when: We watched as the plane took off.
After
1. later in time: After the train left, we went home.
Although or though
1. in spite of the fact that: Although it was after midnight, we did not feel tired.
Before
1. earlier than: I arrived before the stores were open.
Because
1. for the reason that: We had to wait, because we arrived early.
For
1. for, because: He is happy, for he enjoys his work.
If
1. on condition that: If she is here, we will see her.
Lest
1. for fear that: I watched closely, lest he make a mistake.Note the use of the Subjunctive Mood in the clause with lest.
Providing or provided
1. on condition that: All will be well, providing you are careful.
Since
1. from a past time: I have been here since the sun rose.
2. as, because: Since you are here, you can help me.
So or so that
1. consequently: It was raining, so we did not go out.
2. in order that: I am saving money so I can buy a bicycle.Note: When used with the meaning in order that, so is usually followed by that in formal English.e.g. I am saving money so that I can buy a bicycle.
Supposing
1. if: Supposing that happens, what will you do?
Than
1. used in comparisons: He is taller than you are.
Unless
1. except when, if not: Unless he helps us, we cannot succeed.
Until or till
1. up to the time when: I will wait until I hear from you.
Whereas
1. because: Whereas this is a public building, it is open to everyone.
2. on the other hand: He is short, whereas you are tall.
Whether
1. if: I do not know whether she was invited.
While
1. at the time when: While it was snowing, we played cards.
2. on the other hand: He is rich, while his friend is poor.
3. although: While I am not an expert, I will do my best.

In addition, the following phrases are often used at the beginning of subordinate clauses.
As if
1. in a similar way: She talks as if she knows everything.
As long as
1. if: As long as we cooperate, we can finish the work easily.
2. while: He has lived there as long as I have known him.As soon as 1. immediately when: Write to me as soon as you can.
As though
1. in a similar way: It looks as though there will be a storm.
Even if
1. in spite of a possibility: I am going out even if it rains.
In case
1. because of a possibility: Take a sweater in case it gets cold.
Or else
1. otherwise: Please be careful, or else you may have an accident.
So as to
1. in order to: I hurried so as to be on time


Differing Prepositions and Conjunctions


Certain words, such as after, before, since and until may function either as prepositions or subordinate conjunctions. However it should be noted that in some cases different words must be used as prepositions and subordinate conjunctions, in order to express similar meanings. This is illustrated in the table below.




Meaning: could be either Preposition or Conjunction

for this reason
because of
because
in spite of this
despite
although
at the time when
during
while
in a similar way
like
as if

In the following examples, the objects of the prepositions, and the verbs of the subordinate clauses are underlined.
Preposition: They were upset because of the delay.
Conjunction: They were upset because they were delayed.
Preposition: Despite the rain, we enjoyed ourselves.
Conjunction: Although it rained, we enjoyed ourselves.
Preposition: We stayed indoors during the storm.
Conjunction: We stayed indoors while the storm raged.
Preposition: It looks like rain.
Conjunction: It looks as if it will rain.

In the above examples, it can be seen that the prepositions because of, despite, during and like have the noun objects delay, rain and storm; whereas the subordinate conjunctions because, although, while and as if introduce subordinate clauses containing the verbs were delayed, rained, raged and will rain.It should be noted that like is sometimes used as a subordinate conjunction in informal English.e.g. It looks like it will rain.However, this use of like is considered incorrect in formal English.

4. Connecting adverbs


Connecting adverbs are often used to show the relationship between the ideas expressed in a clause and the ideas expressed in a preceding clause, sentence or paragraph.

In the following examples, the connecting adverbs are printed in bold type.e.g. I wanted to study; however, I was too tired.

We knew what to expect. Therefore, we were not surprised at what happened.I

In the first example, the connecting adverb however shows that there is a conflict between the idea expressed in the clause 'I was too tired' and the idea expressed in the preceding clause 'I wanted to study.'

In the second example, the connecting adverb therefore shows that there is a cause and effect relationship between the idea expressed in the sentence 'we knew what to expect', and the clause 'we were not surprised at what happened'.

Connecting adverbs are similar to conjunctions in that both may be used to introduce clauses. However, the use of connecting adverbs differs from that of conjunctions in the ways indicated below.

a. Stress and punctuation In spoken English, a connecting adverb is usually given more stress than a conjunction. Correspondingly, in formal written English a connecting adverb is usually separated from the rest of a clause by commas, whereas a conjunction is usually not separated from the rest of a clause by commas. In addition, in formal written English a clause containing a connecting adverb is often separated from a preceding clause by a semicolon; whereas a clause beginning with a conjunction is usually not separated from a preceding clause by a semicolon.

e.g. I wanted to study; however, I was too tired. I wanted to study, but I was too tired.

In the first example, the connecting adverb 'however' is preceded by a semicolon, and is separated from I was too tired by a comma. In the second example, the conjunction but is preceded by a comma rather than by a semicolon, and is not separated from 'I was too tired' by a comma.

It should be noted that when no conjunction is present, a semicolon may be used to connect two main clauses. For example: 'The clouds dispersed; the moon rose.'
In this example, the two main clauses the clouds dispersed and the moon rose are connected by a semicolon rather than by a conjunction.

b. Connecting adverbs used to connect sentences

Unlike conjunctions, connecting adverbs may be used in formal English to show the relationship between ideas expressed in separate sentences.

For example: The wind was strong. Thus, I felt very cold.

In this example, the connecting adverb thus shows that there is a cause and effect relationship between the ideas expressed by the two sentences the wind was strong and I felt very cold.In informal English, coordinate conjunctions are sometimes used to show the relationship between the ideas expressed in separate sentences.

For example: The wind was strong. And I felt very cold.However, this use of coordinate conjunctions is considered to be grammatically incorrect in formal English.

c. Position in a clause

A subordinate conjunction must usually be placed at the beginning of a clause. However, as was seen in the discussion on adverbs, a connecting adverb may be placed at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a clause.

This is illustrated below.e.g. His visit was unexpected. Nevertheless, I was pleased to see him. His visit was unexpected. I was, nevertheless, pleased to see him. His visit was unexpected. I was pleased to see him, nevertheless.d. Examples of connecting adverbsThe following are examples of words which may be used as connecting adverbs. Each connecting adverb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.
Connecting Adverbs

accordingly: so
He was very persuasive; accordingly, I did what he asked.
also: in addition
She is my neighbor; she is also my best friend.
besides: in addition
I like the job. Besides, I need the money.
consequently: so
She had a fever; consequently, she stayed at home.
furthermore: in addition
You should stop smoking. Furthermore, you should do it at once!
hence: for that reason
He is a good friend. Hence, I was not embarrassed to ask him for help.
however: but
We wanted to arrive on time; however, we were delayed by traffic.
likewise: in addition
The region is beautiful. Likewise, the climate is excellent.
moreover: in addition
She is very intelligent; moreover, she is very ambitious.
nevertheless: but
They are proud. Nevertheless, I like them.
nonetheless: but
The ascent was dangerous. Nonetheless, he decided to attempt it.
otherwise: if not, or else
We should consult them; otherwise, they may be upset.
still: but
It is a long way to the beach. Still, it is a fine day to go swimming.
then:
1. next, afterwards
We went shopping, then we had lunch.
2. so
If you are sure, then I must believe you.
therefore: for that reason
I was nervous; therefore, I could not do my best.
thus: so, in this way
He travelled as quickly as possible. Thus, he reached Boston the next day.
As indicated in the following table, several connecting adverbs have meanings similar to those of the conjunctions and, but or so.
Connecting Adverbs with meanings similar to And, But and So

Similar to And
Similar to But
Similar to So
also
however
accordingly
besides
nevertheless
consequently
furthermore
nonetheless
hence
likewise
still
therefore
moreover

thus

5. Parallel construction

The repetition of a particular grammatical construction is often referred to as parallel construction. This is illustrated in the following examples.e.g. I am neither angry nor excited. The resort contains tennis courts, swimming pools and a snack bar.In the first example, the two phrases neither angry and nor excited exhibit parallel construction. In the second example, the three phrases tennis courts, swimming pools and a snack bar exhibit parallel construction.In English, it is considered preferable to use parallel construction whenever parallel ideas are expressed.Thus, whenever possible, parallel construction should be employed when correlative conjunctions are used. In the following example, the correlative conjunctions are printed in bold type.e.g. Incorrect: He has both a good education, and he has good work habits. Corrected: He has both a good education and good work habits.The first sentence is incorrect, since both and and are followed by different grammatical constructions. Both is followed by the phrase a good education; whereas and is followed by the clause he has good work habits. The second sentence has been corrected by changing the clause he has good work habits into the phrase good work habits.The following example illustrates the use of parallel construction with the correlative conjunctions neither ... nor.e.g. Incorrect: She turned neither right nor to the left. Corrected: She turned neither right nor left. or Corrected: She turned neither to the right nor to the left.The first sentence is incorrect, since neither is followed by a single word; whereas nor is followed by a prepositional phrase. The second sentence has been corrected by changing the phrase to the left to the word left. Alternatively, as shown in the third sentence, two prepositional phrases can be used. Parallel construction should also be used when listing a series of ideas. For example: Incorrect: The hotel is charming, well-situated and is not expensive. Corrected: The hotel is charming, well-situated and inexpensive.The first sentence is incorrect, since the first two items in the series, charming and well-situated, are adjectives, whereas the last item, is not expensive, contains a verb. The second sentence has been corrected by changing is not expensive to the adjective inexpensive.The following is another example of the use of parallel construction when listing a series of ideas.e.g. Incorrect: I like to ski, skating and swimming. Corrected: I like skiing, skating and swimming.The first sentence is incorrect, since the first item in the series, to ski, is an infinitive, whereas the second and third items, skating and swimming, are gerunds. The second sentence has been corrected by changing the infinitive to ski to the gerund skiing

Mistletoe

The custom of kissing under the mistletoe dates back to the 17th century England. Mistletoe was associated with fertility.

And for those who wish to observe the correct etiquette: a man should pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe, and when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing!

A Carol and a Song

White Christmas, by Bing Crosby

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glistenand children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.

All I want for Christmas is You

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There's just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is... You

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There's just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking

There upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy

With a toy on Christmas day

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas

I don't even wish for snow

I'm just gonna keep on waiting

Underneath the mistletoe

I won't make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won't even stay awake

to Hear those magic reindeers click

'Cause I just want you here tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do

Baby all I want for Christmas is you

Ooh baby All the lights are shining

So brightly everywhere

And the sound of children's

Laughter fills the air

And everyone is singing

I hear those sleigh bells ringing

Santa won't you bring me

the one I really need

Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas

This is all I'm asking for

I just want to see my baby

Standing right outside my door

Oh I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

Baby all I want for Christmas is... You

All I want for Christmas is you... baby (repeat and fade)

Christmas Lights, Trees, Decorations

Christmas Drinks

Mulled wine -Recipe

Ingredients:2 cups water
4 Tbsp sugar
1 orange (with peel) sliced thinly
1/2 lemon (with peel) sliced thinly
12 cloves
1-2 pods cardamom
1 small piece fresh ginger, sliced (or powdered ginger)
5-6 peppercorns
cinammon and nutmeg (to taste, add later to individual mugs)
1,5 l inexpensive wine (Carlo Rossi Muscat is perfect)

Combine the ingredients (without wine) and bring to boil. Let simmer for about 10 min. Add wine and heat until it boils. Remove from stove immediately - you don't want all that cheer to evaporate, do you? Serve in mugs and sprinkle with cinammon and nutmeg.


Eggnog Recipe

The truly wonderful version you'll find by googling "Martha Stewart's traditional eggnog." It's a good thing - good of course if you're a domestic goddess with an army of lesser gods to do the work for you. If you're a mere busy earthling, you can fake it.

Try this somewhat unorthodox but surprisingly 'real' and good-tasting eggnog. No one needs to know your secret.

Ingredients:
1 tub vanilla ice cream softened(depending on the size of your crowd, it can be more); you can either thaw it a bit in the microwave or let it soften at room temp, stirring to speed up the process

milk to add until eggnog reaches the consistency you like
2 eggs beaten until pale and frothy
1 cup of rum or whiskey (or both! why not!), or whatever you happen to find - perhaps soju would work?

PROCESS: Beat the eggs and add to softened icecream. Stir until smooth. Add your alcoholic beverage, constantly and gently stirring. Add milk stirring until you reach the thickness you desire. Chill.Serve individually in pretty glasses, or paper cups, depending on the level of your domestic divinity. Have cinnammon and nutmeg handy for your guests to add to their hearts content.Enjoy. It's good. I promise.

CAUTION: Since this version contains fresh uncooked eggs, consume immediatley or keep in the fridge for a maximum of 2 days.

Christmas Wreath

Christmas Food

Christmas flower - Pointsettia

Christmas Table with Center Piece

WIN-IEC: The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the Night before Christmas' Poem
by Clement Clark Moore
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

WIN-IEC: Christmas Lesson

www.history.com (click on video gallery - click on "History of Christmas)

VOCABULARY:

1. RECENT: something that happened not so long ago (e.g. recent history)
modern (recent fashion)
2. ORIGIN: – a) source: the thing from which something develops, or the place where it comes from ( often used in the plural )
-the origins of the universe
-The expression has an uncertain origin
- Customs that are French in originb) ancestry: the ethnic group, social class, or country that somebody belongs to or that somebody's family comes from ( often used in the plural ) a great family whose origins stretch back to the Middle Ages. OR: He has Canadian citizenship, but he’s originally Korean.
3. SOLSTICE: longest or shortest day of the year (either of the times when the Sun is farthest from the equator, on or about June 21 or December 21. The summer solstice falls in June in the northern hemisphere but in December in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa for the winter solstice.)
4. TO DRAG: pull something along with effort: to move something, especially something that is too large, heavy, or difficult to carry, by pulling it along the ground or across a surface e.g. “He dragged the fallen tree out of the road”
5. EVERGREENS: evergreen treeS: a tree or bush that retains its foliage (leaves) throughout the, like pines, furs, spruce.
6. ANCIENT: old: very old; of distant past: belonging to the distant past. E.g. The three ancient kingdoms of Korea.
7. IN HONOUR: to commemorate, to celebrate something (I had a party in honour of my grandmother)
8. AGRICULTURE: farming: the occupation, business, or science of cultivating the land, producing crops (rice, wheat, barley, corn), and raising livestock (cows, pigs, horses…)
9. WORSHIP: treat somebody or something as deity (GOD) : to treat somebody or something as divine and show respect by engaging in acts of prayer and devotion; take part in religious service: to take part in a religious service; love somebody deeply: to love, admire, or respect somebody or something greatly and perhaps excessively or unquestioningly
10. SECT a religious group with beliefs and practices different from those of the more established main groups ( Scientology Church)

11. PAGAN or HEATHEN non-believer in any of the ‘accepted’ gods (The God of the Bible, Torah, Koran)
12. TO TAKE HOLD – to become strong and well-established, to become accepted. E.g. Western food has taken hold in Korea.
13. IT REMAINS A MYSTERY it is still not known. The name of the murderer still remains a mystery.
14. TO THEORIZE: to speculate or form a theory about something. E.g. Scientists have theorized the existence of living beings on other planets.
15. TO ADOPT: 1. legally raise another's child: to raise a child of other biological parents as if it were your own; 2. choose and decide to use/do/accept something. E.g. “They adopted my plan.’ ‘The hospital adopted a new name.’ The previously worst student adopted a new attitude and become the best.
16. FEAST: holiday, celebration; elaborate food and drink
17. TO OUTLAW: make something illegal and unacceptable. “In Canada, smoking in public spaces, including bars and restaurants, is outlawed.”
18. ORNAMENT: decoration
19. TO SULK to be quiet in a bad-tempered silence: a period, state, or show of resentfulness and refusal to communicate; TO SULK AWAY: to continue to be silent in an angry way
20. SEMINARY school for training clergy (priests, ministers, or rabbis)
21. TO SETTLE THE MATTER: to bring an argument or discussion to an end. The kids were fighting over the toys until their mother settled the matter by taking all of the toys away.
22. ROTUND: corpulent, round in body, fat
23. ICON: 1. an image of a holy person; 2. somebody famous for something: somebody or something widely and uncritically admired, especially somebody or something symbolizing a movement or field of activity (Elvis Presley is the all-time rock'n'roll icon)
24. RETAIL: selling directly to consumers (Hyunday Dept. Store is a famous Korean retail store). Retailer: someone who’s in the business of retail
25. TO SEEK, (past tense and past participle SOUGHT): to look for, to search for
26. TO DELIVER (trans. Verb, w. an object): to carry something to somebody (e.g. deliver a letter); to produce (to deliver a baby)
TO DELIVER (intrans., no object), to do as has been promised or expected from.
I always buy Tide laundry detergent, because it delivers (washes my clothes the best!) Christmas delivers. (It brings warmth, family and joy – all that is expected


Tapescript: HISTORY OF CHRISTMA

It’s a holiday known as much for shopping as the birth of the Christ Child.
Christmas is a mix of the old and the new, of surprisingly recent traditions and history that goes back thousands of years.

We’ve old heard the biblical origins of Christmas, but societies have been celebrating light and birth in the darkest days of winter centuries before Jesus walked the Earth.
In the Norse country this winter celebration was known as Yule. Around December 21st, the winter solstice, fathers and sons dragged evergreens indoors as reminders of life, and set logs on fire as a promise of good fortune.

Ancient Rome had its own December festivals. One week before the winter solstice, Romans began celebrating Saturnalia, an orgy of food and drink, in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture. Some Romans, particularly soldiers and government officials, also worshipped Mythra, the son god. It is believed that to this small but powerful sect, the birthday of Mythra on Dec. 25th was the holiest day of the year.

By the 1st century AD, pagan traditions were being challenged, as Christianity took hold throughout the Empire, but Christ’s birthday remained a mystery, since the Bible doesn’t mentions exactly when he was born. Since pagan Rome already celebrated the birth of Mythra on Dec. 25th, it is theorized that the Church adopted the date as the birth of the Christ Child. In the 4th century, the church made it official, declaring Dec. 25th as the Feast Day of the Nativity. The church knew it could not outlaw the pagan traditions of Christmas, so it came to accept them. The evergreens traditionally brought indoors were decorated with apples, symbolizing the Garden of Eden. These apples would eventually become Christmas ornaments.

The story of Santa Claus also begins in the fourth century, with the death of Nicholas, a beloved Turkish bishop. The anniversary of his death became known as Saint Nicholas Day. On Dec. 6th, good children hoped to receive gifts from the kindly saint. Bad children sulked away with nothing. In Holland he was known as Santer Klaus.

1500 years later, in America, a seminary professor named Clement Clark Moore, re-imagined the legend of Saint Nicholas. In 1822, Moore wrote a poem called “The Night before Christmas,” about a good-natured saint names Santa Claus who was pulled by a group of reindeer, and came down the chimney on Christmas Eve. Like St. Nicholas, Santa Claus spread good cheer and gave gifts to children. Less clear was exactly what Santa Claus looked like. Then in 1863, Thomas Nasst, a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly, settled the matter once and for all, with his version of the Christmas saint. Nasst’s Santa was rotund and jolly, with a full white beard and a sack full of toys. An American icon was born.

It’s no wonder that Santa Claus became an irresistible image to America’s retailers, forever linking Christmas with shopping. To most people, however, Christmas means much more than buying gifts. Humankind has long sought warmth, family and joy during the dark days of winter - and year after year Christmas delivers.

WIN-IEC: Mid-Term Exam Questions

NOTE: to get the tapescript for Unit 14, scroll down to the menu; click on September, and then clickk on "IEC, Unit 14, Class of Sept..."
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Here's a list of the mid-term exam questions, you're to prepare.

You'll talk for about 5-7 minutes with a partner. First, you will draw one question strip, read it, memorize it, and then ask your partner. The partner answers in 2-3 sentences, and then, based on the partner's answer, you ask a 'follow-up question.' The follow-up question is related to the topic and the partner's answer. The partner answers briefly, in one sentence. Then you reverse the roles.

Example:

Student A (draws the question, reads it, memorizes it, and asks): Which country have you traveled in?
Student B (answers in 2-3 sentences): I haven't had a chance to travel yet. I really want to visit many countries, but I don't have enough money. I hope to travel in the future.
Student A: If you had money, where would you want to travel?
Student B: I would like to visit India.
(now Student B draws the question, asks, etc.).

QEUSTIONS:

1. What is your dream job?

2. In personality, are you more like your father or like your mother?

3. Is anyone in your family very talented?

4. What is your hobby? /interest?

5. Do you believe in “love at first sight”, like in Romeo and Juliette?

6. When was the last time you went to the doctor?

7. How do you take care of your health?

8. What are your favourite sports to watch and/or play?

9. Would you prefer a high-paying difficult job, or low-paying easy job?

10. What is your favourite English language movie?

11. How often do you watch movies?

12. How often do you eat out?

13. How often do you cook? / Can you cook?

14. Are you a picky eater?

15. What kind of shopping do you like?

16. Who do you like shopping with?

17. Would you ever consider immigrating (moving to live) to another country?

18. Would you consider marrying a foreigner?

19. What is your favourite TV drama or show?

20. How often do you watch TV?

21. Which is your favourite TV ad?

22. Have you ever bought anything because you fell for the ad?

23. Do you have strong willpower?

24. Which country would you like to visit and why?

25. If you have only one day to live how and with whom would you spend it?

26. If you won $1,000,000.00, how would you spend it?

27. If your girlfriend/boyfriend cheated on you, would you forgive her/him?

28. How do you celebrate your birthday?

29. What is the best birthday that you have ever had?

30. What did you do on your last vacation?

31. What is your perfect vacation?

32.Who is your idol (someone you really respect and appreciate)?

33. What are the characteristics of a good teacher?

34. If you could choose to study at any university in the world, which one would you choose?

WIN-ECW: Dec 21st Lesson

Today blog entry is about:
paragraph (general introduction)
journal writing

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences about a single topic. Together, the sentences of the paragraph explain the writer's main idea (most important idea) about the topic. In academic writing, a paragraph is often between five and ten sentences long, but it can be longer or shoerter, depending on the topic. The first sentence of a paragraph is sually indented (moved in) a few space, or one tab.

Paragraph organization:

a) The topic sentence. This is the main idea of the paragraph. It usually comes first, or sometimes after the 'attention grabber.' It is the most general sentence of the paragraph.

b) The supporting sentences. These are the sentences that further explain the topic sentence. They are more detailed ideas that follow the topic sentence.

c) the concluding sentence. This may be the last sentence in the paragraph. It can finish a paragraph by repeating the main idea or just giving a final comment about the topic.

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Example:

Winter is a wonderful season.

Many people hate winter, but I simply love it. a) For me, it is the most magical season of the year. b) There are many reasons to love winter: beautiful white snow, exciting winter sports, and, of course, Christmas. A thick layer of snow covers the landscape and hides all the dirt and mess in our cities and the country. For me, there is no nicer scene than a snowy landscape shimmering in the sunglight. Winter is also great because you can do many exciting winter sports, such as skiing, snowboarding, iceskating, etc. Nothing tastes better than a cup of hot chocolate after a hard day on the slopes. Finally, there is Christmas, the most joyful season of the year. Young or old, we all enjoy Christmas, with its fairy lights, cheerful carols, shiny trees, and presents. c) I could never live in a country that doesn't have winter because I love snow, winter sports, and most of all, Christmas.
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Journal writing:
When you're writing your journa, I don't want you to just give me a random list of things you did on one particular day.
The following is an example of what I don't want you to do:

(What not to write: a simple ‘list’ of things you did on a specific day – BORING!!!)

On Monday morning I woke up at 6:00 o’clock. I had a cup of coffee, and then I went for a jog in the Naksan Park. It was cold, so I couldn’t stay there for long. I came back home and made breakfast. I made scrambled eggs with toast. From 8 to 9 I was cleaning my house: washing the dishes, vacuuming and dusting. At 9:00 I had a shower and then get dressed. At 9:30 I went to the photocopy room to make some photocopies. There were two professors already making photocopies, so I had to wait. I went to the teachers’ lounge and checked my email. I got an email from my brother with lots of pictures from his and his son’s birthday – they were born on the same day! I was happy to see that my father still looks very healthy and handsome. My sister-in-law baked an enormous cake in the shape of a sports car. The whole family was there, and I grew sad because I missed yet another family event. I taught all day long. At 7:00 I came home, made some chicken soup and made dinner. I read a little, but went to bed really early because I was very tired.

Instead, pick a specific topic, something special that has happened to you, that you have seen, experienced, or read about:

(What to write: about one event that is special, that stands out among all the others)

Last Saturday I had a Christmas tree decorating party at my house. This party is becoming a tradition, since this time was the third time I had such a party. I usually cook a big pot of simple hearty soup or chili, make some mulled wine and eggnog, and invite my closest friends to help me with the tree. The night before the party I did all the shopping and cooking and prepared the tree and all the Christmas tree ornaments. On the day of the party, the guests started arriving at 7:00 p.m. There were 8 of us: Clare, Andrea, Jung-ah, Seok-joeng, Chris, So-hee, Ju-yeong, and me. First we ate the chili. Then we had some mulled wine and eggnog served with the sweets. Finally, we decorated the tree and arranged fairy lights all over my house. It took us about an our, ut the final product was beautiful. My house looks nicer than the Galleria Department Store.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BAD JOURNAL WRITING:

Nowadays, I am very tired. I must look for work, but I don’t want to do anything. I can’t sleep a lot because I have many assignments. And I am writing many resumes. I spent many hours in the library working on my assignments. It is hard to me. One company wants and introduction of 200 words, the other wants with 2000 words. It is so hard to me. I can’t write one and use it many times. And the assignments are too long. My family cheers me up. I don’t get allowance from my family, so I have to work almost every day. My boss is angry. I am very tired. This semester is so hard to me. My girlfriend is angry because I am not polite to her. She wants expensive stuff but I have not money. I am sorry but she must leave me. Oh, it is so hard nowadays. I want to buy Christmas presents, but I have no money. Next weekend, I’ll go skiing.

What is the point of this paragraph?
a) the person is tired
b) the person must write resumes
c) the person’s girlfriend is going to leave him
d) the person’s family is supportive
e) the person’s family doesn’t give him any money
f) the person’s life is hard
g) the person doesn’t know how to write a paragraph
h) the person has been abducted by aliens and is speaking in a weird language that is not English (most likely!!!!!)

YOU CAN ORGANIZE THIS JOURNAL WRITING SO THAT IT IS ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES THE WRITER IS FACING IN HIS LIFE RIGHT NOW:

These days (lately, recently), I have been very tired. (TOPIC SENTENCE) There are many things that make me tired and my life difficult. (FIRST SUPPORTING ARGUMENT) First, I am a university student and I have many assignments to complete. Because they are difficult and long, I spend many hours at the library completing them. I have no time to sleep which makes me even more tired. (SECOND SUPPORTING ARGUMENT) Second, I’m also looking for a job. I’ve been writing resumes and cover letters which is not easy for me. All companies want something different in the resume. Some want 200-word cover letters, others want 2000-word cover letters. I can’t write one and reuse it. It takes me a lot of time and effort. (THIRD SUPORTING ARGUMENT) Third, my family doesn’t give me any allowance, so I need to work part-time. My boss is a slave driver and he is always angry. I have to work extra hard to keep my job. (LAST SUPPORTING ARGUMENT) In addition, as if things were not bad enough, my girlfriend is very unhappy with me. She demands expensive gifts that I cannot afford right now. I am afraid she will leave me. (CONCLUSION SENTENCE) My family tries to cheer me up, but for all the reasons I stated above, I can’t help being very tired and feeling that lately life has been more than I can handle (difficult for me).

...........AND FINALLY ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF a diary entry.

Last Thursday something horrible happened that made me very sad and angry. The tree that grew outside of my bedroom window was cut down by three Hansung University employees. I still can’t believe it and I don’t know why they did it. The tree was healthy and beautiful. It lessened the ugliness of the view from my bedroom window and, in addition, it protected me against curious passers-by. All I can see now outside my window is a gaping entrance to a building on the right, a bare wall of another building to the left, and a few meters ahead, the busy and noisy road that leads up to the campus entrance. The worst is that I need to make sure my curtain is drawn at all times so that people cannot peek into my bedroom. The only pretty, natural green thing, my natural curtain, is gone now. When the workers loaded the last fallen leaf onto their truck, I sat down on my bed and cried for a long time, feeling like I had lost a friend.

WIN-ECW: Syllabus, Outline, Assignments

SYLLABUS
Hansung University, English Department
ECW- English Communication and Writing; Instructor: Bianca Brankica Turalija
Winter ’06-‘07
Email: biancatur@rocketmail.com or 110558@hansung.ac.kr
MSN: biancatur2@hotmail.com
Tel. 760-4398 // Cell: (011) 1762-1967
Office: Professors Building, Room 824
My blog: http://magistragrande.blogspot.com

General Description of the Course

To successfully complete this course, you must have:
a) Textbook: Writing from Within, by Curtis Kelly and Arlen Gargagliano. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
b) A blank A4 Size notebook
c) A range of pencils and pens, erasers, etc,. – it’s a writing class!

The majority of Korean students find writing in English the hardest aspect of their language learning efforts. The problems start immediately at the sentence level with students not being able to express their thoughts in grammatically and syntactically correct sentences. Subsequently, there are difficulties in stringing the sentence into comprehensible and cohesive paragraphs, and ultimately larger compositions/ ssays.

How to solve this problem, then? Simply: by teaching students how to organize their thoughts in writing, starting from the sentence and moving onto more complex segments of text. The objective of this course is to teach students how to generate topics, how to write cohesive sentences and paragraphs and how to organize them in logically connected expository compositions. “Expository” simply means something that describes or explains. The kind of writing I am aiming to teach you is the kind you will have to do in both academic and business environments.

Anyone can learn to mimic models: if you’re taught how to write an invitation card, you can more or less mimic it successfully. However, if you want to be a truly good writer in English, you need to go beyond that. Excellence in writing comes from within, from your own thoughts and feelings, and leads to discovery of self, of others and the world around you. Activities that we will do in this class will encourage you to use your creativity, to think, and most importantly to have fun with writing.

The focus of each unit is one writing assignment. Some assignments are introspective – they force you to think about yourself (e.g. a major event in your life), others are more practical (e.g. you’re asked to plan a trip abroad, or write a magazine article). I am hoping to provide a variety of expository modes of writing and a wide range of writing experiences. Before tackling your composition assignment, I will teach you the basics, and you will start writing in class, finishing at home if necessary. The basics include the pre-writing activities (brainstorming, paragraph analysis, organizational practices, model analysis) and post-writing activities (editing, giving feedback, and optional writing).
Don’t forget: writing is a skill and IT CAN BE LEARNED. In the words of the textbook authors: “learning to write is like learning how to play a musical instrument- the more you practice the better you’ll be.” Also, remember, good writers are necessarily avid readers, so the more you read the better you’ll write.

2. Grading policy

Hansung University follows the ‘bell curve’ grading system. Simply put, you are competing against one another. Please, remember that when it comes to grading, what you give is what you get. If you are not putting in the maximum effort, you cannot expect to get the highest grade.
Official university policy dictates that each class be graded accordingly:

A= 30% of the class
B= 40% of the class
C,D,F, = 30% of the class

3. In class grading will be as follows:

Attendance and Participation: 10 %
Homework and Journal= 40%
Mid-term Written Exam ( 10% ) and Final Written Exam (10%) = 20%
Mid-term Written Assignment (10%) and Final Written Assignment (20%) = 30%

4. Attendance policy

The rule is very simple: your regular and on-time attendance is a must.
Two lates count for one absent; five absents will land you the final grade D, regardless of your performance in any other aspect of this course; more than 5 absents will result in an automatic failing grade F. You will be excused for illness or family emergency in which case you need to call me in advance and later supply a written proof (a doctor’s note or a signed letter from a parent or guardian). Bear in mind that attendance and participation go hand-in-hand and combined they count for 30% of your final grade.

5. Courtesy and the Rest

I do not tolerate the use of cell phones during the class. Please, switch them off. If I see you using your phone during the class, I will give you an absent.

Only English is allowed during the class. The rule: K+K= A. Each time you use Korean, you and your partner(s) will get a K. Two K’s will land you an absent.
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ASSIGNMENTS:


ECW- ASSIGNMENTS SHEET
Hansung University, English Department
Instructor: Bianca Brankica Turalija; Winter ’06-‘07

Each student in this class is required:
1. to hand in regularly assigned homework in addition to two diary-type compositions.
2. complete and submit two written assignments, based on the writing learned and practiced in the class.

1. Diary: 1st due Dec. 22nd /// 2nd due Jan. 5th.

One of the best ways to practice writing is keeping a journal. For this course, you are required to submit two 20-sentence (about half a page, handwritten) diary-type compositions. You should write about anything interesting that you did (good or bad), witnessed, read or heard about; the most interesting person you met; anything that strikes you as worth writing about.

2. 1st Written Assignment. Typed. Due Date: Jan. 2nd . Submit in Class.

You are required to type a 1 page, double-spaced composition. The 1st assignment must have an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs and a short conclusion. You have a choice between the following two topics: :

a) A major event in my life / An event that changed my life (based on Unit 5)
If you think hard, I am certain you will find a moment or a day that has changed your life or you forever. It could be something sad, like losing a loved one, breaking up with a partner, not passing a test, or something joyous like falling in love, getting a high TOEIC score, winning a lottery (why not? – it happens), etc.

b) A guidebook article about the one-day tour you planned. (based on Unit 6).
For this assignment you will research a popular tourist city, plan a perfect day tour and write an article about it in a guide-book style.

3. 2nd Written Assignment. Typed. (20% of your final grade). Due Jan. 9thth. Submit in class.

Your second assignment is also a 1-page, double-spaced five-paragraph composition. The assignment must have an introductory and summary paragraph, as well as three paragraphs in the body of the composition.

You have a choice between two topics:

a) A restaurant review (based on lesson 7).

You will have to describe the décor and atmosphere inside a restaurant of your choice, the quality of service and food there, its best and worst features, any other comments. Make sure that you use many descriptive words.

b) An important person that influenced me.

You are going to write a composition about a person that influenced you. In the introductory paragraph you will introduce this person: who (s)he is, what (s)he does, what is his/her relationship to you. In the concluding paragraph you will say how your life would be different without this person. Body paragraphs might deal with any of the following: positive characteristics of this person, what you learned from this person, which problems this person helped you solve, an incident that shows why this person is very important to you, etc.

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OUTLINE:



Dec. 18th
General Introduction to the Course
Dec. 19th
Writing basics: Sentences, Paragraphs, Compositions, Conjunctions, Punctuation

Dec. 20th
Unit 1: About me
Brainstorming. General and specific information. Topic Sentence. Paragraph Format

Dec. 21
Unit 2: Career consultant
Organizing ideas logically into a paragraph

Dec. 22
Unit 3 : A dream come true.
Christmas around the world
1st Journal Entry DUE
Facts and examples paragraph style. Supporting sentences

Dec. 25
Christmas Holiday, No class

Dec. 26th
Unit 5. It changed my life
Cause and effect paragraph style. A major event in life.

Dec. 27th
Unit 6: Exciting destinations
Process Style paragraph. A guide book article about a one-day tour

Dec. 28th
Unit 7. Research survey
Classification style paragraph. Restaurant review

Dec. 29th
Mid-Session Exam written exam (2 hours)

Jan. 1st
New Year’s Day Holiday: No Class

Jan. 2nd
Unit 8: The power interview
1st Written Assignment
Compare and contrast paragraph style.

Jan. 3rd
Unit 9. Personal goals.
Persuasive paragraph style.

Jan. 4th.
Unit 10. Architect.
More about organization of the paragraph

Jan. 5th
Unit 11: My role models
2nd Journal Entry
A composition about an important person in my life

Jan. 8th
.Unit 12: Be a reporter

Writing a newspaper article
Jan. 9th.
2nd Written Assignment Due
The course review and preparation for final written exam.

Jan. 10th
Final Written Exam (2 hours)

WIN- IEC: Syllabus, Assignment Sheet, Outline

Syllabus:

Hansung University, English Department, I.E.C. II
Instructor: Bianca Brankica Turalija. Winter School ’06-‘07
Email: biancatur@rocketmail.com, 110558@hansung.ac.kr
MSN: biancatur2@hotmail.com
Telephone: 760-4398 // Cell: (011) 1762-1967
Office: Professors’ Building 824
Blog: http://magistragrande.blogspot.com
Textbook and Workbook: World View 3, by Michael Rost. Longman, 2005.

General course description

1. Who should attend this class?

This course is a continuation of the Intermediate English Conversation I. It is designed for students who already possess a considerable passive command of the English language (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) but are in need of improving their conversational skills through a variety of practical partner and/or group activities.

My teaching goal is to strengthen your passive knowledge and encourage you to communicate in English more confidently. However, communication is not only about being able to talk but equally or even more so about being able to listen and understand what is being said to you. Generally, students at your level encounter a lot of problems when it comes to understanding native speakers. Each class incorporates a listening activity that should help you overcome those problems.

The book contains engaging topics that should be interesting and conversation-inducing. There are 28 topics separated in 28 units. However, we will start with the unit 12, since the previous units are covered in IEC I. No need to worry about ‘catching up’ if you haven’t taken IEC I: the units are not thematically connected and they are quite independent of one another. Every once in while you can expect to have additional materials, such as songs, internet reports, magazine articles, segments from movies and/or sitcoms, etc. I believe that you will not be bored in this class. For sure, you are expected to work hard and learn a lot but also have fun: “what’s learned with pleasure is learned full measure” – I strongly believe in this motto!

2. What do you need for this class?

a) World View 3) , textbook and workbook.
b) A blank notebook for taking notes, doing short writing tasks, jotting down new vocabulary, doodling, etc. A notebook is a must! Don’t come to class without it (or the books).





3. How are you graded?

GRADING POLICY
Hansung University follows the ‘bell curve’ grading system. Simply put, you are competing against one another.
Official university policy dictates that each class be graded accordingly:

A= 30% of the class
B= 40% of the class
C,D,F, = 30% of the class

4. In class grading will be as follows:

Attendance: 10 %
Participation: 20%
Mid-Session Exam (Vocabulary, Grammar): 10%
Final Written Exam (Vocabulary, Grammar): 20%
Mid-term Oral Assignment = 20%
Final Oral Assignment: 20%

ATTANDANCE POLICY:

The rule is very simple: your regular and on-time attendance is a must. Two lates count for one absent; five absents will land you the final grade D, regardless of your performance in any other aspect of this course; more than 5 absents will result in an automatic failing grade F. You will be excused for illness or family emergency in which case you need to call me in advance and later supply a written proof (a doctor’s note or a signed letter from a parent or guardian). Bear in mind that attendance and participation go hand-in-hand and combined they count for 30% of your final grade.

5. Courtesy and the Rest

I do not tolerate the use of cell phones during the class. Please, switch them off. If I see you using your phone during the class, I will give you an absent.

Only English is allowed during the class. The rule: K+K= A. Each time you use Korean, you and your partner(s) will get a K. Two K’s will land you an absent.

6. The blog. http://magistragrande.blogspot.com. Check the topics that start with WinIEC.

For your convenience I created a blog that you can visit to check what the homework is, to find a copy of a lost handout, read or print out scripts for listening activities, click on useful ESL links, etc. The blog is interactive. Should you wish, you can leave comments and feedback, share materials or links that your classmates would find useful, ask questions, etc.
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ORAL EXAMS:
The Intermediate English Conversation Course focuses on developing students’ oral communication skills in English. In accordance with the nature of the course, each student’s speaking ability is evaluated through two oral presentations: one at mid-term and one at the end of the semester. Please find the appropriate dates in your Course Outline Sheet.

1. Mid-session Oral Presentation (partner work): Interviewing each other (5+ minutes)
2. Final Oral Presentation (partner or triad work): Playacting a Dialog (5+ minutes)

December 29th, Friday: Oral Presentation: Interview with a Partner

Your first oral exam will be an interview with a partner, in front of me. Each of you will draw 3-5 question strips (depending on the time you take to answer), and have a ‘natural’ conversation based on the strips. No worries: you will be given a list of questions to answer in advance, so you will be able to prepare appropriately. Questions will be easy, concerning everyday life, activities, likes and dislikes. You must be ready to answer each question fluently in 2-3 or more sentences, not just one word, or one sentence. Your partner will also ask you a logical follow up question, depending on your answer. You will not know who your partner is until the day before the exam, when we will have a draw.
Example:

Student A: What is your dream job?
Student B: I want to be a flight attendant. It will allow me to travel and see the world. I also like working with people and providing service. (3 sentences).
Student A: (possible follow-up questions) - a. Which airline would you like to work for? Or: Don’t you think the job is dangerous and tiring?
Student B: a. I’d like to work for Air Canada. b. I do, but I think it’s still o.k. I am not afraid.

Partner Interview Evaluation Rubric



Fluency
V. poor 1
Poor 2
Good 3
V. Good 4
Excellent 5
Total
Sufficient Use of Details in your answer
V. poor 1
Poor 2
Good 3
V. Good 4
Excellent 5

Voice level: loud enough
V. poor 1
Poor 2
Good 3
V. Good 4
Excellent 5

Clarity of Speech (accent, pronunciation)
V. poor 1
Poor 2
Good 3
V. Good 4
Excellent 5

Quality of Language (grammar, , vocabulary)
V. poor 1
Poor 2
Good 3
V. Good 4
Excellent 5

Level of Comfort/naturalness of conversation
V. poor 1
Poor 2
Good 3
V. good 4
Excellent 5

Total (max. 30)


January 10th, Wednesday: Final Oral Group Pres entation: Dialog (5 minutes)

Students will choose a partner or two partners to work with. First, you will write an original script with a free topic. You will hand in the script to me before your presentation is about to take place. Second, you will memorize the script and act it out in front of the whole class. NO READING WILL BE ALLOWED!

The script guidelines:
Which topic to choose? For example, you may choose to create a restaurant scene, a visit to a doctor, talking about travel, marriage/blind dates, recreate a scene from a movie, etc.
VERY IMPORTANT: You must use 10 expressions (words, phrases, idiomatic expressions) as well as 3 grammatical features that you have learned in class. In your script, you must underline or boldface or (both) the expressions and grammar, or you will get a ‘0’ in the “vocabulary” and ‘grammar’ categories in your evaluation rubrics.
Presentation guidelines:
-know your lines and speak naturally. Pay attention to your pronunciation and the clarity of your speech.
-act: be natural and relaxed, not rigid and nervous.
-use costumes and props, music, posters…anything that might impress the teacher – me!

If you need more assistance and guidance while preparing your skit, please visit me in my office or call schedule an appointment.

Content (Quality of the Speech)

Choice of Topic/ Level of Difficulty
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Grammar (3 features min.)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Vocabulary (slang, idioms, 10 minimum)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Creativity/ Originality
1, 2, 3, 4, 5


Delivery (Quality of the Presentation)

Knowing your lines (Fluency)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Pronunciation and Clarity
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Acting
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Creativity (costumes, props, special effects)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Total (max. 40)
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OUTLINE


Date:

Topic
Monday, Dec. 18th
General Introduction to the Course

Tuesday, Dec. 19th
Unit 12. Sports fans. Time + prep. on at or no preposition. Talking about future plans

Wednesday, Dec. 20th
Unit 13. Immigration. Present Perfect.
Song: My Way by F. Sinatra

Thursday, Dec. 21st
Unit 14. Sounds people make. Modals: must/might/can’t be.

Friday, Dec. 22nd
Christmas and other winter holidays around the world

Monday, Dec. 25 th
Christmas Day – Holiday; No class

Tuesday, Dec. 26th
Unit 15. Soap Operas. Will and will not for future.

Wednesday, Dec. 27th
Unit 17. Advertisement. Written and Oral Exam Preparations

Thursday, Dec. 28th
Mid-Session Written Exam, 1,5 hour (Grammar, Vocabulary)

Friday, Dec. 29th
Mid-Session Oral Exam (Interview with a partner)

Monday, Jan. 1st
New Year’s Day; Holiday, No class

Tuesday, Jan. 2nd
Unit 17. Willpower. Phrasal Verbs.

Wednesday, Jan. 3rd
Unit 19. Materials/ possessions. Passive Voice

Thursday, Jan. 4th
Unit 20. Movies. So, too, neither, either
Song: You’ve got a friend, by C. King

Friday, Jan. 5th
Unit 21. Politeness. Modals: Could you/would you

Monday, Jan. 8th
Unit 22. A balanced life. Likes and dislikes

Tuesday, Jan. 9th
Final Written Exam, 1,5 hours (Grammar, Vocabulary)

Wednesday, Jan. 10th
Final Oral Presentations

Please, be aware that the above is a general course outline and that sometimes we will step away from the planned activities, depending on the atmosphere of any given class. Sometimes we’ll need to spend more time on particular grammatical or lexical (vocabulary) items.