Wednesday's Assignment

Have you ever been caught for not having read a contract carefully? Share with two or three partners. 
Here are your tasks:

1. Role play: Reading Contracts Carefully
1. Read aloud by yourself, with a partner, and into Chirbit or Audioboom.
2. Include on your blog a short story about what happened when you did/didn't read a contract.
2. With your partner, select one more role play to practise together.
3. Watch this, and select any useful vocabulary to learn.
4. Then pick one contract-related vocabulary exercise to try out.

My story about cantract

When I came to Canada, I applied for a credit card. But I didn't read the contract carefully. 

Because it was too many English words for me to understand. So I just signed it, and got the card. 

After 2 months, I found that  there was some dollars be debited every months. 

I didn't know what that for. So I called the bank . 

The customer service man told me that was for insurance with the spending of my credit card.

I even didn't know I have it! Maybe it was in the cantract.

It was useless for me. Finally, I cancelled it. 

Monday's Assignment

We all make mistakes, but how we deal with them may be different in different cultures. Making an excuse is one of them:

Do dogs and excuses appear together in excuses
 in your L1? Here are more excuses in English.

Here are your tasks:

Pick a favourite.

1. Vocabulary & Pronunciation: Time Off from Work
1. Do not practise silently only. Speak aloud the new words, comparing the pronunciation carefully with the audio.
2. Make sentences using the new vocabulary.
2. Role play: Plagiarism
1. Listen. Then discuss with a partner.
2. Practise the dialogue by yourself and then with your partner.
3. Record your dialogue on Chirbit or Audioboom and place it, with these instructions, on your blog.
3. Write a brief trip report (no more than 100 words) for last Thursday's visit to TRL. 
1. If you didn't go, include your excuse and interview a classmate who did.
2. Add pictures (feel free to steal from my FB).
3. Have 2 classmates check your work before hitting the Publish button.

1. Vocabulary: bachelor party / Vegas / last weekend of the month / time off from work / to miss out / tvacation leave / company policy / sign of / maternity leave / leave of absence / calling in sick / accumulated sick leave / leaving him hanging / straight out / wild weekend / the guys
    
    Sentences: My boss, John, went straight out to me, and asked me about my application for leave which I just gave it to him this morning. I told him that I would go to Vegas this weekend to attending my best friend's bachelor party, so I needed to get time off from work next monday. But John said that our company policy required that the boss had to signed off on the long periods of leave —like maternity leave or a leave of absence. So there was no need to applicated for just one day off, because I could use my vacation leave.  At the end of today's work, John reminded me got ready for a wild weekend with the guys.

2. Role play: Plagiarism

Friday's Assignment

What's funny? What's funnier? What's funniest?

So what else is left of Toronto Public Library? You have seen the stuff you can pick off the shelves. You have seen the stuff you can download. Now what?

Here are your tasks:

1. Click on Programs, Classes, & Exhibits. Identify and discuss ESL and Newcomer programs at 3 nearby venues.
2. identify 3 other kinds of programs (left column of programs home page) and discuss.
3. Write FAQs for the Museum + Arts Pass (how would you search for it?) using 3 WH questions and 3 Y/N questions. Do not include answers. Then respond to your classmates’ FAQs using blog comments.

1. 3 ESL and Newcomer programs at  Bridlewood :

    1. Library Settlement Partnerships (LSP) - Temporary Schedule                     

    2. LSP: Filing Personal Tax Returns (Mandarin)

    3. LSP: Health Care Options for Seniors (CORRECTED DATE)                     

       

2. 3 other kinds of programs:

    1. Appel Salon Programs

    2. Innovator in Residence

    3. March Break programs     

                      

3. FAQs:                            

    1. What is MAP?
    2. How does the MAP program work?
    3. I've misplaced my date due receipt, what can I do?

    4. Can I get a ROM pass from the Fairview branch? 

    5. Shall I pay for the MAP passes?

    6. Can MAP passes be renewed or reserved?

Dictation

Hi, are you the librarian? Could you help me check out this book? What is there resent a bar code or RFID tag? 

I don't know if this is fiction or nonfiction. It doesn't show in the online catalogue either.

It supposed to open Monday to Saturday from 10 to 6 so I decided to see the new library for myself.

Dictation Answers

1. Hi, are you the librarian? Could you help me check out this book? What if there isn't a bar code or RFID tag?
2. I don't know if this is fiction or nonfiction. It doesn't show in the online catalogue either.
3. It's supposed to open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6 so I decided to see the new library for myself.

http://chirb.it/zfBHcr

Tuesday's Assignment

While much of our public library consists of clicks, we're going to make a visit this Thursday to the bricks:

What caption would you write here?

Here are your tasks:

1. Vocabulary and pronunciation: Visiting a Library
1. Identify 5 new/difficult words/terms
2. Make sentences using those words, and have a partner check your pronunciation of them
2. Do this listening exercise: Library Tour
3. Watch this video, and identify 3 things/places you hope to see.
4. Role play with a partner what you hope to see on Thursday’s field trip and make arrangements to meet. Practise once, and record your chirbit.

                                  

1.   5 new/difficult words/terms:

hours of operation

non- fiction section

online catalogue

briefly

bar code

2 . listening exercise: 

1. Level 2

2. Level 1

3. Level 3

4. $15.00

5. 10:00 PM

1. Where would you go to check out books?

A. Level 1
B. Level 2
C. Level 3
D. Level 4

2. Where is the most likely place to find a book on learning to speak French?
A. Level 1
B. Level 2
C. Level 3
D. Level 4

3. Where would you find a January 1996 issue of Time Magazine?
A. Level 1
B. Level 2
C. Level 3
D. Level 4

4. How much would you have to pay in late fees if you had a book that was 45 days overdue?
A. $5.50
B. $11.00
C. $15.00
D. $22.50

5. When does the library close on Friday nights?
A. 8:30 PM
B. 9:00 PM
C. 9:30 PM
D. 10:00 PM

1. university
2. taped
3. collection
4. desk
5. science
6. study
7. renewed
8. fee
9. maximum

10. weekdays

Hello and welcome to the ⁽¹⁾ library. This ⁽²⁾ tour will introduce you to our library's facilities and operating hours. First of all, the library ⁽³⁾ of books, reference materials, and other resources are found on levels one to four of this building. Level one houses our humanities and map collections. On level two, you will find our circulation ⁽⁴⁾, current periodicals and journals, and our copy facilities. Our ⁽⁵⁾ and engineering sections can be found on level three. You can also find back issues of periodicals and journals older than six months on this level. Finally, group ⁽⁶⁾ rooms, our microfilm collection, and the multimedia center are located on level four.

Undergraduate students can check out up to five books for two weeks. Graduate students can check out fifteen books for two months. Books can be ⁽⁷⁾ up to two times. There is a 50-cents-a-day late ⁽⁸⁾ for overdue books up to a ⁽⁹⁾ of $15.00. Periodicals and reference books cannot be checked out.

The library is open ⁽¹⁰⁾, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The library is closed on Sundays.

3. 3 things/places you hope to see

Digital Innovation Hub

Study Pods

Learning Centre

        

                         

Thursday's Assignment

Good morning! Having seen the historical and popular Christmas, how about the commercial one?

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play: Boxing Day Sales
1. Do it aloud.
2. Practise with a partner aloud.
3. Record a chirbit.
2. Group writing of 3 sentences each: 1. Graph 1 2. Graph 2.
1. Make sure to discuss in a group of 3 or 4.
2. One person will write down a list of 6 points.
3. One will talk about Graph 1 while the others help.
4. Another will talk about Graph 2 while the others help.
5. If there's a fourth team member, that person will check the writing by sitting next to the writer.
3. Copy out the headline and subheads of this article.

chirbit:
After Christmas Sales

Graph 1:
From 2009 to 2011, the Real-Time Sales on Cyber Monday increased year by year. The first peaktime came at about 11 a.m.,and the second one was about 7 p.m.. There was a rebound after 9 p.m..

Graph 2:
Before 8 a.m., the Real-Time Sales on Black Friday is higher than Cyber Monday. After that, Black Friday goes to the contrary. But Cyber Monday still keeps on the top volume till night.

Wednesday's Assignment

So, besides Christmas, which we've looked at over the last couple of days, what else do Canadians celebrate? Imagine being Santa Claus and arriving in a home that doesn't celebrate Christmas:

Why is this picture funny? Identify some of the objects you see in this picture.

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa
1. Learn the vocabulary, using a good online text-to-speech resource. Can you recommend one?
2. Then do the usual, practising speaking aloud and getting a partner to practise with.
3. Do you think it's ok to mix up various traditions? With your partner, write a 10-line dialogue using the vocabulary you have learnt. Feel free to include a chirbit.
2. Listen and take notes: Hanukkah for Kids.
1. Discuss in groups of 4 or more how historical Hanukkah is.
2. Publish your findings.

vocabulary

diverse
custom
religious observance
Advent wreathes
Midnight Mass
in-laws
purely
secular
exchanging gifts
stockings
Christmas tree
Carols
Nat King Cole  
Eggnog
under the tree
Santa Claus 
Hanukkah
festival of lights
menorah
spins the dreidel
Chrismukkah
Kwanzaa
African- American
heritage