Final Notes and Advice

And so this is it.    It has been my pleasure to teach you all this semester.  I hope you have learned some things (ideas and tools) that will be useful to you in future academic studies and in your future personal and professional lives.

Here is a new analogy for you.   I believe that living life is a bit like playing a game (or multiple games).       First, you need to enjoy it or find a way to enjoy it.   Remember though, you must play the appropriate game.  If you are artistic, not athletic, then you should not be playing a sports game.    Fit is important.   Then, you need to learn how to play it well.   Know the rules and know the people you are playing with.   This is what happy and successful people do.       Finally,  you must remember that both people and games change.    Never stop learning and being aware of yourself and your environment.   Remember some of the smart protagonists in the short stories you read this semester.    How did they play the game?

One of my favourite quotes about success comes from a poem written over a hundred years ago.   It was shared with me by one of my business professors at UBC many years ago.

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

The poem is often attributed to the American writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, but it was apparently actually written by Bessie Stanley in 1905.


And to end,   I will share something I wrote some years ago.   I hope that I have already taught you some of these principles throughout the course.   Feel free to open your dictionary.

Leslie Barclay's Recipe for Excellence

1. Know thyself.  (keep a journal?)
2. Develop latent talents.
3. Establish a fit between who you are and what you do.
4. Eschew laziness.  (Instead, work smart and hard.)
5. Study (& emulate) the lives of excellent individuals.
6. Maintain balance.  (Be peaceful and don't kill yourself.)
7. Build context.
8. Have a significant partner/friend/colleague/mentor.
9. Teach what you know and have learned.

Good luck.    Have a great summer and autumn.

Les.

This week

Well done everyone in yesterday's presentations.   I learned a great deal and was quite impressed.

There were various imperfections, but by and large the presentations were of AP5 and post-AP5 calibre.

I especially liked the presentation that began with a skit.   That is the sort of 'pizzaz' that impresses me and will impress others in further academic studies.

I am presently marking your literary essays and expect to complete this today.   As such,   I will have those plus your presentation marks tomorrow.        My plan is to be in my office between 11 and  2.   You can come see me then.   If you are not able to make it,  you can e-mail me.

Enjoy your luncheon today.   Regrettably, I am unable to attend.   I enjoyed our little outing the other night, though.

There will be one final blog post tomorrow.

About Tuesday

A reminder to students about Tuesday's NGO presentations.

They are in building 250, room 215.

Groups 1-4 (I hope you know who you are) must be present from 8:30-10:30 and

groups 5-8 from 11:15-1:15.


Please check all  IT visuals on VIU computers to ensure they work.   Your computer at home at the computer here may not work the same.


Please rehearse together before your presentation.    This is a final exam, so it is important to do a good job and time is tight, so we will not allow for overtime (other than perhaps 2 min.).

Be prepared for someone to be sick and unable to attend.   It happens.   Sometimes it is the person who has the powerpoint file.    Have a back-up and ensure you can contact all your group members in case of an emergency.    You won't have a second chance.   This is an exam.


Also, on Tuesday I will be returning your NGO reflective journals.

I am e-mailing you all your 30-second videos from Tuesday.  Please look at them and think what is strong and weak so that you can improve for next Tuesday's presentation.




Have a good weekend and Happy Easter.

Final thoughts (Part 1)

It's important to have a thick skin.   Look what happened to this fellow.

California suspect went on rampage after being teased about poor English skills: police

Here is a very cool poem put to music.   The meaning is a little hard to grasp, but you've got to love the rhythm.






Compare with the more staid "In Flanders Fields"  with audio files   here




One of my favourite poems by one of my favourite poet's,   Li Po.

Alone and Drinking under the Moon   (the poem with 43 different translations)


And a quote from Les Barclay.   (One the numerous themes I have taught in this class.)

Transcend that which limits you.

Saturday's Little Denouement

I look forward to seeing most/many of you on Saturday night beginning 6-6:30 at the Old City Station Pub
in downtown Nanaimo as a sort of  end of class party and send off for Omar (plus belated birthday celebration for Jason).

This is their website:    Old City Station Pub

This is the location:   (click this for a map)

• 150 Skinner Street
• Nanaimo, British Columbia
• V9R 7A6
• Phone - 250.716.0030

You don't have to drink alcohol, but you must be 19.    No dancing girls or nudity.  (Sorry, Omar!)

One of the funniest sitcom clips

If you really want to test your English knowledge and skills,  try describing what you see/what happens in this short video clip from of the funniest television sitcoms of the 20th century, Seinfeld.

Jerry leaves Kramer to mind his apartment for the day.

For Thursday and Next Tuesday

I hope you have begun reviewing your notes and the many materials I have given you in this course.  This is also a good way of organizing these notes and handouts.

A reminder for Thursday (NGO Thursday) ...

*   review and bring your notes from last Thursday's lecture -- you will need them for the in-class writing
*   read and think about the discussion questions on the handout you received today

For next Tuesday ...

*   In S&S --   Unit 11 -- pp. 372-376  Read and complete all exercises (you've already done most of
     exercise 1)
*   In S&S -- read 'In Flanders Fields" p.221 and Do Part 1 (Reader's Response) and Part 3 (Historical
     and Sociological Dimensions).   I will ask students in groups to present their answers in a panel.
*   Choose a favourite poem (in English or your first language) or a favourite quotation and share with the
     class the significance of it for you.  You can read a bit of it or present it how you wish.   You will only
     have 30 seconds to talk about it.    Think about the very first lecture I gave about literature -- and that
     early blog post.
*   Re-read the two short stories from this second half of the semester and start reviewing the parts of S&S
     we have studied.   You need to know the vocabulary from this textbook.


This is a very good website for poems:

Poetry Foundation

This is a very good website for quotations:

Inspirational Quotes

Final Weeks

Here is the schedule for the remaining weeks.

Tuesday	Thursday
March 27 Final Draft of Literary Essay Due Finish COC Ch.6 AWL Quiz #4	March 29 “Heart of Gold” NGO reflective journal written in class.    11-12:30 NGO project -- group work
April 3 Review & Finish S&S Literary Essays returned	April 5 In-class Literary Essay:  “Owl Creek” and “Beware of the Dog”  8:30-11:00
April 10 Final Presentations Building 255-Room 215 8:30-12:30	You’re finished.           Congratulations!

The end of week 11

To help you prepare for next Tuesday's final AWL vocabulary quiz,  I recommend you do this on-line spelling quiz  for sublist 9 & 10   here  
and these flashcards for sublist 10  here

Remember for Tuesday:

1.   Final academic wordlist (sublists 9 and 10) quiz.   Don't just study with a translation list.

2.   Literary essay final draft is due.    On the front will be a full typed double-spaced essay -- all five
      paragraphs un-edited.     You will get marks for 1) intro & conclusion draft 2   2) body paragraph 3 draft 1
     and   3)  the whole thing all together.        Please submit everything you have done and I have done with it
     to date.

3.   COC -- Read pp. 166-171

4.    Complete and bring your self or peer evaluation from the Owl Creek oral presentation.    This should be
       like this:

      Voice Quality --- How well can you understand what the person is saying. (1 = weak; 5 = strong)

1    2    3   4    5

Answering these questions will help you evaluate the summary contents:

Did the speaker mention the main characters  and briefly describe them?    Yes  or  No.

Did the speaker mention the main parts of the story plot in correct sequence?    Yes  or No.

Did the speaker touch on any important elements of literature?    Yes or No?

Did the speaker’s summary have a point?   (Was there a thesis or main idea in the speech?)    Yes or No?

Summary Contents

1   2   3    4    5

Total  mark             /10


5.    Try to complete your NGO survey by Thursday.   After Thursday,   your group should be analysing
       and summarizing the data to make it meaningful for a persuasive presentation.   You should be starting
       to play your actual presentation.

Owl Creek Oral Summaries

Watch the oral summary from your group and complete this peer evaluation (Only one per group).

Plus,  if you are watching yourself,  do a self-evaluation.

Consider these factors in your peer and self evaluation.

Voice Quality --- How well can you understand what the person is saying. (1 = weak; 5 = strong)

1    2    3   4    5

Answering these questions will help you evaluate the summary contents:

Did the speaker mention the main characters  and briefly describe them?    Yes  or  No.

Did the speaker mention the main parts of the story plot in correct sequence?    Yes  or No.

Did the speaker touch on any important elements of literature?    Yes or No?

Did the speaker’s summary have a point?   (Was there a thesis or main idea in the speech?)    Yes or No?

Summary Contents

1   2   3    4    5

After watching the video and answering the questions,  provide a score out of  /10   (5 +5).  Please print up a copy of your summary and bring to class on Tuesday.

Group 1 Saki's Summary

Group 2 Linh's Summary

Group 3 Neil's Summary

Group 4 Kacie's Summary

Student Voice Recordings

Using fileden.com   (a free online storage website,  I have been able to save and link your audio files)

You can listen to your own voice or your peers' voices.    How well can you understand yourself and the others?    Think about content and sound quality.

Martin's Summary


Jane's Summary


Ruizhen's Summary


Gunel's Summary


JoJo's Summary


I am still missing 2 recordings.   Students were to do these in pairs (except Martin's trio).   Who hasn't sent me their voice recording?

Final Notes for the week

A miscellany of  notes to end the week (for me).





The book I recommended today.   Here is a good review.   I would suggest downloading the e-book from Amazon to your e-book reader or tablet computer.



I also recommend a movie I watched last weekend that is about reinventing oneself and about effective English communication.     The movie is called Larry Crowne and stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.   You can read a review from imdb  here.  Watching this movie will also help you better understand American culture.    I watched it for free via a trial subscription of   zip.ca




 



About your NGO presentations ...

You should complete the interview before next Thursday.   The information from the interview will help you to prepare a survey (if you have chosen to do that).  Remember the survey is not only about NGOs, but about your specific NGO.    I would complete the survey by the following Thursday (March 29th).

I liked our NGO discussion in class today.   I will ask for two different students to lead the discussion next Thursday.   I will give the discussion questions on Tuesday.   Remember that a good leader doesn't talk too much and/or do the work of the participants.   A good leader draws in all the people around the table.


About homework ...

1.  Remember to study your notes from todays COC lecture and think about possible questions.

2.  Read Ch.6 in COC -- pp.143- 160 (Do activity 2, 4, 6 and 7)

3.  Read Treblinka Gas Chamber in SOS pp.240-241 and Do parts 1, 2 and 3 from p.241 (I suggest doing this in pairs or groups).   I will ask groups to discuss and present on Tuesday.

4.  Study the rest of the academic words and review previous words in sublist 9 and 10.   There will be
     a final quiz on Thursday.  It will be a slightly longer one.

5.  In your groups,  prepare and practice a 100 word summary of the short story, "An Occurrence at Owl
     Creek Bridge".   Practice before Tuesday.   Everyone in your group will receive a mark for the content
     and spoken presentation.   The speaker must not be someone who summarized on Thursday.


Some recommended websites ...


Some favourite quotations    (from one of my old websites)

Speech Club (a nice blog about speaking and presentations)

ESL Pronunciation  (many of you continue to be challenged by pronunciation,so this can help)

VIU MBA Experience Blog  











 

Homework reminder for Tuesday

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  From Facebook postings,  it appears many of you were kept busy working on your research essay for Sue.    Don't forget me.

First, some notes from last week.

I failed to put up the answers to S&S pp. 330-331.   Here they are:

Exercise 13

1.  colour       colour        color
2.  travelled    travelled    traveled
3.  either        judgement  judgment
4.  defence    defence      defense
5.  honour      honour      honor
6.  centre       centre       center
7.  cheque      cheque     check
8.  dialogue    dialogue/dialog   dialog
9.  reflection   reflexion    reflection
10. neighbour  neighbour  neighbor

Exercise 14


1.  The trunk of our car is full of old books.
2.  The tap in our bathroom is leaking.
3.  Every Thursday night, I watch reality shows on TV.
4.  Yesterday, a thief stole my sister's purse.
5.  Would you like some dessert? It's chocolate cake.




Also,  Ruizen noted an error in my marking of Vocabulary Quiz #3.   The syllabification of compilation
has two options:   stress on first and third or only on third syllable -- 4/1,3  or 4/3.   Hence,  I will add a point to everyone's quiz who I marked that wrong, which will amount to 3%.






Finally, homework for Tuesday.


1.   Literary Essay introduction and conclusion paragraphs draft 1 are due.


2.   COC -- lecture part 1 notes -- you will use these notes in pairs to give a spoken summary.


3.   S&S --   Read and do pp.  63-70   "An Occurrence at Owl Creek" and writing pp.347-352






This scene from The Fugitive came to mind as I read the short story.   A great movie.


4.   And don't forget the next ten academic words to study.

See you tomorrow.

Academic ESL

Here is a great website for practising academic English.

Academic English


I will add further websites of this sort in the coming weeks.   Keep checking this page.

This week

This will be a busy week for AP5 students.   I intend to push you mentally in order to ready you.   Listening only once.   Speaking faster.  Using bigger words.     You need to be organized and mentally prepared and attuned.   Get ready.


A number of things will happen on Thursday.   First, homework ...

1.   Literary Essay -- Draft 2 is due.   Please do a peer edit and complete the peer editing form.  Submit this
     along with your outline and previous drafts.

2.  COC -- read pp. 125-126;  127.     I also encourage you to do some of the online activities related to
     Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.   Use the COC companion website here.

3.  S&S -- read pp. 328-332;  do exercises 13, 14, 15 (odd numbers) and 16.

4.  NGO presentation -- meet with your group before Thursday and do some planning.

5.  Answers and  Questions worksheet --  write questions for #2,4,6,8,9,13.

6.  Re-read/review  "Beware of the Dog"  as there will be a short writing activity based on it.
     (Hint -- think about 'theme').


Other stuff:


Charlie Rose (Creativity Interview)


ESL Robot Tutor     (This is very cool!)


Some grammar:


Collective nouns and counters


Grammar quiz about non-count nouns


Asking questions in academic contexts


Question-writing practice

NGOs and information for next week

I hope you enjoyed the two presentations today.   They are good models for how to make a presentation.
Did you wonder how or why their presentations were so smooth?   The presentations were both informative and persuasive.    I suspect that similar presentations are made when these NGOs are seeking funding, governmental permission to operate, and volunteers.    So, they must be good in order to succeed.

In case you haven't yet Googled the organizations,  here are their websites"

Freedom Stones

A Rocha


I encourage you to explore these websites.   They are very well done and quite educational.


The website/app  for creating slick presentations like Olivia's is:    Prezi

(I will explore it over the next few days and encourage you to do the same.   Powerpoint is old and boring.)


And finally, for next week ...

Homework:

1. S&S -- p.324-329 Exercises 8,9,10,11,12
2. Notes in outline form of Thursday's e-commerce lecture.  Done in pairs.  Hand in.  Handwritten is okay.
3. Study for Tuesday's AWL Quiz.
4. Investigate and choose an NGO for the NGO presentation.  Meet with your group before Tuesday to confirm.

Have a good weekend.        

Miscellaneous stuff for this week

Here are two very good literature links:


About imagery here

About symbolism here 
(I really like this website.)

Use and review are critical elements of language learning.   I highly recommend you review your irregular verb past tenses  here
and  here 




Homework for Thursday

1. Dead Poet's Society group assignment (remember to print a copy plus e-mail me a copy).
2. Literary Essay Body Paragraph 2 (Draft 1)  Typed and double spaced.  Remember to include a word count.
3. COC -- Read pp.76-82; do activity 14
4. S&S -- Do Characterization & Narrative Structure questions (pp.95-96) and hand in your answers (typed or handwritten).
5. S&S -- Writing -- read and do pp.320-325
6. Types of NGOs and Discussion Question handouts -- please read and be prepared to discuss

And remember there will be a vocabulary quiz next Tuesday.

The pace and quantity of information will increase in the second half of semester.   It is very important for you to keep up.    The key words for these six weeks are energy and organization as you grapple with skill building and knowledge acquisition and integration.

Homework for Tuesday

I hope you have all recovered from your mid-term exams.  Welcome to academic life.  It's a lot harder then.  Some of you seriously need to attend to your weaknesses if you plan to pass AP5.   Learning Centre and possibly even a tutor would be in order.   But first,  you need to know what is wrong.

For Tuesday's class please do the following.

1. COC --  Unit 3 pp.62-71 Read and Do Ex. 2, 4, 6, 7
2. S&S -- Ch.7 -- Read pp.86-94 and Do Close Reading;  Do Vocabulary Part I & II (pp.97-98); Revising and Editing Paragraphs (pp.292-295).   Correction.  You already did this.  My mistake.  I meant for you to do pp. 312-316.
3. Academic Word List -- review old words; study new words adjacent to encounter

Think about the new groups you wish to form for the second half of term.

And remember for Thursday ...

1.   Body Paragraph 2 (draft 1) is due.

2.   Dead Poet's Society group assignment is due.

Dead Poets Society

You can read the script here    (scroll down and click the link on the page)

Here are some good quotes from the movie.

Literary Terms

You need to learn the basic literary terms (not all, but the most common ones) in order to discuss and write about stories and poetry.

A very good definition and example of  connotation can be found  here

Try this quiz on literary terms.  It is a good review before mid-term exams.  You won't know all the terms, but you can guess some of them.   Here   is another one.

Here is a good glossary of literary terms with definitions and examples.   Explore the poetry lesson link on the page as well.

A good online dictionary for learning about words

Merriam-Webster Online   

is a very good online dictionary for improving your vocabulary.   I highly recommend the free app for Apple or Android devices.    You must get away from translation dictionaries and bad dictionaries that give you poor or insufficient information about words.    And you must learn how to use dictionaries correctly.      Study the example above for the information about the academic word, 'passive'.

First, you need to know which form and meaning of the word you are interested in.  For example, with passive it is the adjective, not the noun form you need to learn.

Second,  you need to learn the pronunciation -- the syllabification, the stress and the individual sounds.

Third you must learn the meaning (try via English, not your own language) in this academic context.

Fourth,  learn the other related forms of the word.

Fifth,  see how the word occurs in sentences.  Then you can write your own sentences using the word.


Additionally,  learning synonyms and antonyms is very beneficial.


If you have done well on vocabulary quizzes 1 and 2, then you are studying vocabulary well.   If you have not done so well,  then there is a problem with how you are studying and learning vocabulary.

A great festival to attend this weekend.

If you have some free time this weekend,  I highly recommend bringing some friends and having some food and fun at this annual French Canadian festival at Beban Park.

Academic Word List Sublist 9 Cloze

See how well you know your academic words by doing this gap fill activity on the topic of marketing.

Another blog and an interesting picture

Apropos today's poem.   Look at this bird's eyes.   What do you feel?

http://vancouverislandlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/tonight-dinner-visitor.html

Analogies

 We use analogies to create a bridge between something a learner knows and something else.


An excellent short YouTube video about analogies







And a great game about analogies can be played here

Homework and Essay Schedule

Homework for Thursday's class

1. Academic word list -- study next group of ten words  (mediate to preliminary) and review the previous thirty. There will be a quiz on Thursday the same format as the first quiz.   I recommend using the worksheet I gave you today to organize your knowledge about these words.
2. Choose a topic (from the 9) in your out of class essay assignment and write a thesis.   I will check this with each student on Thursday and give them the thumbs up or thumbs down.   You may want to begin developing your ideas -- the planning process before the organization -- if you are confident your thesis is good.  The outline and body paragraph one are due next Tuesday at which time we will have a writing workshop.
3. COC -- read pp.43-51
4. S&S -- read and do pp.207-209
5. In groups, rewrite (fix)  the student error sentences (#3, 4, 6, 7, 8).   Each group will hand in the repaired sentences.   This is for 5 marks.   Make sure you get the grammar and semantics right.

Out of Class Essay Schedule 

• Thursday, February 9 -- Essay thesis due -- 

• Tuesday, February 14 --  Essay plan/outline and body paragraph 1 first draft due.  Bring your pre-writing and essay plan/outline to class for discussion with your teacher.  Bring your laptop so you can work on it in class.  

• Tuesday, February 21-- Outline & Body paragraph 1 due (final draft for marking)

• Thursday, March 1 -- Hand in body paragraph 2 for feedback (first draft with outline).

• Thursday, March 8 -- body paragraph 2 due (final draft for marking).

The third body paragraph you will write independently and hand in with the rest of your essay on the final due date.

• Tuesday, March 13 -- Hand in introduction and conclusion for feedback (first draft).
• Tuesday, March 27 -- Complete essay due (final draft for marking).

Remember not to rush this.  The focus is on process -- learning how to write a good essay.    It is important not to neglect the planning and organizing of your essay.   Just as a well built house depends on  good materials and a good architectural/engineering design, your essay depends on good support, good grammar and good organization.   Good luck.

Perfect and Past Perfect Tense

Many of you are forgetting your basic grammar.    I am seeing many mistakes in your writing that AP5 students should not be making.   Tense mistakes are common as are errors with articles and relative clauses.

I recommend a quick review of past perfect tense including practice exercises here

I am also seeing many problems in your writing that I think are causes by excessive translation.   Unless you stop thinking in your first language (which is difficult if you always use it outside of class),  your English will not improve very much!

Cause and Effect

The ability to analyse cause and effect is a critical skill for learners.    Notably, it is important outside the halls of academia as well in that successful businesspeople and politicians, for example, are those best able to understand and act on good cause-->effect analysis.

A good on-line grammar practice for cause and effect is here

This is a little harder cause and effect on-line quiz  here

The Economist magazine is one of the best international publications for reading about what goes on in the world on a variety of topics.    The free online version is excellent, and they have a version for iPads etc., that is even better.       I highly recommend it.   You can view it here




One recent article looked at the Canadian economy,  housing in particular, and considered various causes and effects.    Read it here