6/1/09

Final Class for Spring Grammar 2

Wow, even by the last class we still had 25 plus students! Thanks to everyone for making this such a great semester. I really enjoyed teaching, thinking and learning with you all! Have a great summer and I hope to see you all in Spring 2010!

Class on 5/18/09

Warm up exercise for present perfect

1. Make up a present perfect question (some ideas below) 

2. Talk to at least 5 people

3. Be ready to tell the whole class what you figure out.

Have you finished your homework yet?

How long have you lived in the United States?

How long has it been since you visited the state or town where you were born?

How long have you studied English?

Have you written 3 paragraphs yet?

Survey:

Are you married? How long have you been married?

Have you seen the _______________(Movie or TV show) yet?

Review or homework- Present Perfect with yet and already.

Homework: work on your final paragraphs

Class on 5/11/09

Review of the following verb tenses: present, past, present and past progressives, future, use of can/cannot.

Corrections to class calendar/syllabus. There will be no Quiz #6. No class on 5/25

Students must pick a pop culture topic by 5/18/09

Practice "quiz" workbook p56 #5.

Preview and first work with Present Perfect. Ask yourself, "Is it still going on?" Is the action likely to keep repeating on into the future. 

Homework: Textbook p 186-187 #1-3

                  Workbook p 78 #3

Class on 5/6/09

Homework Correction Focus: Correct Return papers and quiz

Students rewrote 3-5 errors. Teach and learn regarding one element with a partner. Students responded to: What did you learn?

Garth collected ideas for Pop Culture Presentation

Discussion: ourselves vs each other

Complete review of today's Homework: trade and grade #3-5 from textbook.

Continue with Can, Could etc. 

Homework: workbook pages 51 t0 53 #1 and 2. Work on a Paragraph

                      

Class on 5/4/09

Quiz #5

Review of Quiz answers: All 4 examples of verbal phrases will be on the final exam

Review of last months Syllubus: 

Can, could introduction

Homework: #3-5 from pages 129-130 of the textbook

                       Work on a paragraph

Class on 4/29/09

Warm up: practice a story about your week where you were doing something but you were interrupted. Use past present, past present and then (wham!) a simple past tense action interrupts.

Verbal Phrases Pages 107, 108, and 109

Homework:

Textbook Page 109 #2, page 110 #3 and 4.

Turn in a draft of one of your paragraphs

Class on 4/27/09

Writing exercise on Present Progressive, and Past Progressive with simple past interruptions.  

Teacher led discussion regarding paragraph requirements: indent first line, stay on topic, last sentence is very important (often echoes the 1st sentence) and needs to sound like an ending.

Class discussion regarding the Outline for the remainder of the semester:

Various homework

2 Quizes

1 Test

3 Final paragraphs (you can choose from the 4-5 assigned in class)

1 Presentation to represent American Popular Culture

Work with Verb Phrases textbook pages 105 and 106.

Homework: Textbook Pages 106-107

                       Workbook page 45 #4, pages 46-47#1 and #2

CLASS CANCELLED

Garth has a flat tire.

Class on 4/20/09

The corrected test #1 was handed to all students. Final questions answered. Those exact irregular simple past verbs will be repeated on the final. 

Current grades were demonstrated discussed. 

Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns were previewed. Reflexive pronouns are more internal. Reciprocal are more external (but to like things/people)

Homework: Textbook- P 99-100 #4

                       Workbook P 43-44 #1 and 2

                       

CLASS ON 4/15/09

Homework: workbook p 40-42 # 2, 3, and 4

Also a paragraph about how to make English fun for you. 

Class on 4/13/09

Test #1

Students reviewed corrected home work. Students were asked to study corrections and report 2 things that they learned. 7 students were asked to report back to the whole class one thing that they learned. 

Students were also asked the following: Think about the how you use English. Is it ever fun? Or is it always a lot of work? How can you do more fun things while using English? How can you have fun speaking English?

American Popular Culture example was presented. 

Seinfeld and Double Dipping. 

Whole class viewed a video clip of the now classic scene. The link to the clip and the text are below.

Homework: Finish paragraph about making English fun (see questions above). Read textbook pages 73 to 75. Complete exercise #1 on page 76.

George Double dips

Text below:
Timmy:		What are you doing?
George Costanza:		What?
Timmy:		Did, did you just double dip that chip?
George Costanza:		Excuse me?
Timmy:		You double dipped a chip!
George Costanza:		Double dipped? What, what, what are you talking about?
Timmy:		You dipped a chip. You took a bite. And you dipped again.
George Costanza:		So?
Timmy:		That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip. From now on, when you take a chip, just take one dip and end it.
George Costanza:		Well, I'm sorry, Timmy, but I don't dip that way.
Timmy:		Oh, you don't, huh?
George Costanza:		You dip the way you want to dip. I'll dip the way I want to dip.
		[George grabs another chip, dips it, takes a bite and begins to reach for the dip as Timmy grabs his hand.]
Timmy:		Gimme the chip!

Class on 4/1/09

"pop quiz" - Quiz # 4 on future tense

Review of Test #1

Pop Culture Example Presentation: M.I.A. Paper Planes

Homework: Study for Test #1

Class on 3/30/09

Review of corrected homework assignments.

Individual, short writing assignments: Tell a story about your weekend using past progressive and an interruption in simple past. Also 5 sentences to practice, I am going to ... and I will... for future tense. 

Review of future tense rules on textbook 56 and 57. Students worked individually to write sentences for page 58.

Homework: take home practice test and study all assigned irregular simple past verbs.

Class on 3/25/09

Small group activity: Poetry Analysis and Translation. In small groups students looked up words, analyzed on of two Emily Dickinson poems. Students began to translate either "Wild Nights!" or "I'm nobody. Who are you?"

Small group activity: students wrote creative answers to "Then and Now" activity from textbook pages 49 and 50.

Whole class, teacher lead review of textbook pages 52 through 55: future tense. 

Test will be on 4/1/09

Homework: workbook pages 27 and 28

Finish Emily Dickinson Poem translation (see above)

Make flash cards (Base Form/Simple Past) of the following verbs:

shut, sing, sit, sleep, slide, speak, stand, steal, stink, strike, swim, tell, think, wear, win, and write.

Class on 3/23/09

Students practiced in pairs with their "used to" paragraph homework.

Independent and whole class work with "Did you use to..." and "I used to..." textbook pages 46 through 48

Teacher Observation and Survey

Homework: workbook p 24 -26 #2-4

Class on 3/18/09

Whole class practice: paragraph form and paragraph function. Students find the missing punctuation in a sample autobiographical paragraph. 

Whole class listening exercise from Textbook page 41 and  pair memory exercise and use of past progressive. 

Continued discussion of writing and final projects.

Intro to "Used to" Textbook pages 43-45

Homework:

Workbook: pages 21-22 #3, page 24 #1

Write a paragraph on one of the topics below. Try to use "Used to" frequently.

1- Describe the games you used to play when you were 7 or 8 years old.

2-When you were young what did you used to do when you would visit your grandparents?

3-Describe you favorite vacation or holiday when you were a child. 

Class on 3/16/09

In pairs students work with their new flash cards. Students asked to simple past questions starting with "Did..."

Return of Quiz #3

Discussion of latest writing assignment and future writing projects. 

Whole class present progressive practice from Text book pages 38 through 40.

Homework:

Workbook pages 19 and 20 #1 and #2

Bring a dictionary to next class 

Reminder: No Class on Wednesday 11, 2009 (Teacher's Flex Day)

Class on 3/9/09

Class practiced past tense answers about their weekend activities.

Quiz # 3

Whole class review of textbook pages 34-38

Homework: Make Flash cards of the following irregular verbs (write the the base form on one side & simple past on the other: (all verbs are from Appendix page A-1)

be, beat, become, bet, bite, bleed, blow, burn, choose, cost, cut, dive, do, dream, drink, eat, fall, feel, fight, find, fly, forget, forgive, freeze, and get.

Class on 3/4/09

Small groups (3-4 people) discussed, "What did you do last night?" Each group picked one interesting answer to report to the whole class.

Students took a practice quiz (will be Quiz #3). All answers were reviewed. Quiz consists oftwo parts: 1) Dictation of simple present verbs and students must write their Past Tense equivalent. 2) workbook page 15 #B (paragraph about Frida Kahlo). 

Students were updated with their current grades. 

Past tense listening and pair exercise: Textbook pages- 31 through 33.

Homework:

Study for Quiz

Write about a favorite artist, musician, actor, celebrity (best if they are currently living and creating work):

1. When were they born. What have they accomplished? (use past tense)

2. What makes them unique, special, or talented? (use simple present)

3. What is your "Star" doing currently? (use present progressive)

Class on 3/2/09

Whole class: Simple past tense practice, "What did you do this weekend?"

Small group work: Emily Dickinson, poems questions, opinions.

Whole class: homework reviewed.

HOMEWORK:

Textbook: page 30 (read part of page 29 about Ana Castillo)

Workbook: page 18 

Class on 2/25/09

Whole class review of Quiz #2 answers.

Students that scored under 70% were told to work with a tutor at the Learning Center. 

Students worked in small groups to finish past tense Emily Dickinson paragraph and statements (textbook p 27). 

Homework: 

Workbook pages 16 and 17

Textbook P28 #4

Extra Credit- bring in a poem by Emily Dickinson. Tell why you picked it. 

Class on 2/23/09

Weekend Interview: students worked in pairs to gather simple past tense verbs and info about what their partner did.

Quiz: simple present, present progressive and imperatives. 

Trade and Grade of homework pages 12 and 13.

Simple past work in textbook page 26. 

Homework: 

Pages 14 and 15 (workbook) 

Use and Study verbs on Appendix A-1

Class on 2/18/09

Students were told that they would have a quiz on 2/23/09. Whole class lecture on identifying key indicators or "clues" for when to use present progressive vs. simple present. Other examples of items that would be on quiz were given. For example, all students should be able to spell and understand the grammar of the following sentence: "I am studying English Grammar."

Students reviewed their corrected homework, wrote corrections in their notebooks. Then they shared their insights and their recipe (due today) with a partner.

Whole class preview of regular and irregular past tense. 

Homework:

Workbook pages 12 and 13 and detailed directions (using imperative) from your house (don't give your exact address/location) to Cañada College. 

Class on 2/11/09

Students took a Practice (Fake) Quiz on imperatives. The quiz was composed of 9 short dictation sentences. Imperative verbs included Jab, Lean, Keep, Stay, Kick, Stand, Sit, Talk, and Punch.

Students Traded and Graded each other's work. 

Students worked alone on page 17 of the text book and then read out loud correct answers from this and today's homework. The teacher check student's homework that was due on 2/11. 

Students worked alone and in pairs for the pages 18, 19 and 21 of the textbook. More practice on giving directions was promised.

HOMEWORK:

Workbook pages 10 and 11

Write a simple recipe. Please follow the example on page 20 of the textbook. Remember to keep it simple: it could be how to make a great cup of coffee. 

Home work is due on 2/18/09 - no class on 2/16!

Class on 2/9/09

Class practiced questions and answers using both simple past and past progressive.

Return and review of first Quiz

Individual and small group practice with Imperative (both affirmative and negative)

HOMEWORK:

Workbook: Pages 3 and 9 - Remember to write out the answers and turn in on a separate piece of paper. 

2/4/09

Students rewrote corrected paragraphs and corrections found in homework. 

Quiz on To Be

Practice using pairs of simple present or present progressive questions. Students rotated throughout the room and talked to at least 5 other students. 

Prep for homework.

HOMEWORK:

Textbook P12 (part 10) Write 3 descriptions (using present progressive when you can) for each of the 4 pictures. 

Workbook Page 1 and 2 -write out the full sentences for your answers. 

Monday 2/2

Review of common past tense verbs. 

Students interview another student to find five things they did over the weekend. 

Review of last homework (p 8 and 9 of textbook). 

Homework:

Textbook deadline

Study past and present tense of To Be

During Wednesday's class we discussed the use of the verb

To Be

in past and present. We also discussed the rule of when to use Present Progressive vs Simple Present. Students continued to learn more facts about each other in another "ice breaker" activity.

Homework: Complete pages 8 and 9 of the Grammar 3 text book (use handouts or your color textbook). Remember to write out the answers as part of whole/complete sentences. Also, study and memorize past and present of To Be.

Email question of the day: How many Japanese students does our class have?

1/26/09

Review of common past tense verbs. 

Students introduced themselves to others in small groups. They shared one lie and three truths and tried to trick the other students. Each small group had one representative repeat their introduction for the whole class while students on the other side of the room tried to figure out what the lie was. 

Review of first homework. Discussion of student responsibility and displaying the blog. 

Homework:

Write an autobiographical paragraph (about yourself) and email or handwrite it. 

Remember you must show that you have the Grammar 3 text book by class on 2/4/09

First Homework

Hello Grammar 2 Students!

How do you get to Cañada? Do you drive, take the bus or ride with a friend?

Email me your short answer. Don't forget to tell me your name.

Example:

"Hello Garth,

My name is Mateo, and I ride the bus to Cañada. 

See you on Monday."

Welcome to Grammar 2!

Download the syllabus to the right for more information about our class: