Level 9: Final Exam

It is amazing how fast four weeks can pass. Already it is time for the final exam. We are still going over unit 5, but plan on doing the essay tomorrow. Time permitting, we will also do the speaking part of the test. That way you will still have time to study for the listening and reading components on Friday.

Remember, the test is cumulative. It covers units 1 through 5.

Lastly, if you are taking the Michigan Exam, that will be on Friday at 12:30. I will make sure you have time to finish and take a short break before that.

Level 9 Schedule

This coming Friday is the last day of class. Apparently on the last day we finish at 12:30 instead of the usual 1:15. Please plan accordingly.

The end of class brings with it a final exam as well. It is my hope that we can do part of this already on Thursday, but the timing will depend on how much we can get done before then. Stay tuned.

Memorial Day

If any of you advanced students is interested in the holiday this long weekend, here is a blog post about my experience with it last year: Memorial Day.

Level 9 Homework Reminder

Please remember the homework assignment that I gave you yesterday for tomorrow: Reading and Writing, p. 65, C.

Also, you should study anything you got wrong on the midterm exam. You'll need it not only for life in English, but also for the final exam, which is cumulative.

Finally, if you weren't in class this afternoon, we did pp. 69–73 of the Listening and Speaking book. This was vocabulary in preparation for tomorrow's listening exercise.

Memorize Vocabulary with Anki

One student suggested that we try Anki, which is a software tool for memorizing vocabulary. You can download it for a variety of computer and mobile formats (Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and more), or you can sign up for a password and use it online. Anki is free, although its developer welcomes donations.

Level 9 Update

Today in class we did pp. 56–63 of Listening and Speaking and pp. 59–61 of Reading and Writing. For grammar we covered the present and past unreal conditionals.

For homework please read pp. 48–57 of Reading and Writing. Make sure you understand and can use the vocabulary, which we will practice on Monday.

Level 9 Update

A couple of you were absent today, so here is a brief summary of what we covered.

In class we finished most of unit 2 of the Reading and Writing book, that is, we did pp. 32–42. This material includes vocabulary, the infinitive and gerund, and paragraph structure.

For Homework please do C2 on p. 34 as well as p. 43. Of course, you should look at the other material you missed, as soon as you are able to.

One note about the textbook. On p. 41 it talks about the topic and controlling idea of each paragraph. That works, but usually I just talk about the topic sentence, which covers both concepts.

Finally, I am hoping to do our midterm exam on Tuesday, May 19th, although I won't know for sure until the end of the week. In any case, please study all of the vocabulary, listening exercises, reading, and grammar so that you are ready next week.

Level 9: Small Talk

NPR did an interesting story about the relationship between language, culture, and finding a job. None of you is looking for a job, but culture is still relevant to learning how to improve your spoken English. You can find out more via "Language and Culture: The Way We Speak."

Level 2A: What time is it?

What time is it?

"It's 3:10." = "It's ten past three." = "It's ten after three."

"It's 4:40." = "It's twenty to five." = "It's twenty of five."

What time is it? Watch the video. (If you see an advertisement, click the "x" to make it go away.)

Conversation Practice through a Language Exchange

We talked about a language exchange in class today. For more information, see Georgetown University's Language Exchange Program as well as the intercambios at Dos Gringos.