Poppy!

Here a simple video I made, so give me your thoughts on the video ok.. ;p

It's a story on young teen- Poppy who have a rough and dark teen life.. And I added a twist in the end.. So tell me you oponion on the video! ^^.

Slang!

Slang is the non-standard use of words in a language and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of words from another language.

Slang terms are often particular to a certain subculture, such as skaters, or musicians.

Slang is used extensively in American TV, movies, music, literature, and in conversations among native English speakers.

Slang is sometimes confusing and becoming a factor why we can't understand a sentence so well.So today I will try to help you guys out with this problem.

SO here are some examples that you may be familiar with:

airhead

a stupid person

My sister's boyfriend is an airhead.

babe

girl

Look at the babe next to that tree over there.

barf

vomit

He had to barf because he drank too much alcohol.

bummer

bad experience

My trip to New York was a bummer.

freebie

free

The pillow was a freebie.

no biggie

not important

He could not finish his homework but it is no biggie.

totally

completely

That car is totally awesome.

uptight

anxious

Try not to be uptight about your new job

Slangs are interesting. I found one slang, whereby 'uncle' means you quit. It is funny and hard because most slang does't really have any connection with the meaning, regardless the sound, pronunciation or the spelling.

SO to help you out, here some sites you could go to if you have problems understanding the articles you are reading or the songs you are listening. Check here Urban Dictionary or Fun English-Slang.

Have Fun! ^^.

Have Fun Twisting Your Tongue! part2

OK now you've done a little warming up for the tongue twister, let's put it to the test now!

PETER PIPER


Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

But if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Were they pickled when he picked them from the vine?
Or was Peter Piper pickled when he picked the pickled peppers
Peppers picked from the pickled pepper vine?

You could also try some other tongue twister!:

if a ditch digger dug a ditch, how many ditches could a ditch digger dig if a ditch digger dug a ditch?

if tricky trackers trek tricky trails, how many tricky trails could a tricky tracker trek?

if a bottle breaker broke a bottle, how many bottles could a bottle break if a bottle breaker could break bottles?

if a kelp cutter cut kelp, how much kelp could a kelp cutter cut if a kelp...

OK, now that we are done with the practice, let us fin new tongue twisters and bring to the class to try out and trade tongue twisters with your friends. ^^.

Have Fun Twisting Your Tongue! part1

Today, let's try have fun with Tongue Twister! It is very hard at first, but after you actually remember the word order and try it a few times, then you will get better!

But before I we test on the real tongue twisting sentences, how about if we try something simpler to get used to this confusing tongue twister?

I found an ABC song. The thing is, it is in backwards.





So, it's not easy right? But it's a good practice for doing tongue twister!

ROLE-PLAY!

Okay students, for the next class, I'm going to make a role play in our class. Just thought I let you guys know sooner and give time for you to practice.


Oxford University Press has made these cool simple and easy mini phrasebook that can help you refer to what you should say in a conversation with certain situations. Now I would like you to download these, and print it and bring everywhere you go and PRACTICE!

We will be doing in the next class, so I hope you guys came prepared and ready for our upcoming activity! Happy Role-playing!


CLICK TO DOWNLOAD NO.1

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD NO.2





p/s: Anybody who slacks will be SEVERELY punished! ;p

Lesson Plan!

Here is the lesson plan my friend, Adote and I come up with. It's on interpersonal skills. The target students are Form 1 students. As we know, form 1 students already gone through Primary schools, so they have learned basically how to greet people and now we are going to test the students on how to communicate with people and to teach them the proper way to socialize.

Date : 20th July 2010

Time : 1 hour 20 minutes

Class : Form 1 Anggur

Number of Students : 30

Subject : English

Lesson Theme/Topic : Interpersonal Skills

Prior Knowledge : Knowing how to greet

Learning Outcomes : Make friends and talk about themselves recount experiences and also enquire about the person they are talking to.

Content : (1) Introducing oneself. (2) Talking about self, family and interest. (3) Exchanging ideas and opinions. (4) Taking part in conversation and discussion.

Moral Value : Healthy social skills

Thinking Skills : How to start, maintain and prolong a conversation.

Induction Set:

Students will learn how to make friends and talk about themselves recount experiences and also enquire about the person they are talking to.

Development Stage:

i) Introducing oneself.

ii) Talking about self and family

iii) Asking simple question politely to get information and responding appropriately to questions.

Evaluation:

Students will be ask to present a role play based on different situation that will test their interpersonal skills.

Summary / Reflection:

Teacher will test students’ interpersonal skills orally by asking them random question based on topic to check their understanding.

Stage/Time	Content	Teacher’s / student’s activities	Rationale and Material
Stage 1 Set Induction (10 minutes)	LEARNING OUTCOMES 1.0 LANGUAGE FOR INTERPERSONAL USE 1.1 Make friends and keep friendships by a. introducing oneself;	Level 1 i. Introducing oneself.	AVA: Whiteboard Rationale: To introduce the topic and to get student’s interest.
Stage 2 development (40 minutes)	b. talking about self, family, friends, interests, past events, feelings, and understanding when others talk about themselves; c. exchanging ideas and giving opinions on topics of interest; d. taking part in conversations and discussions.	Level 2 i. Talking about Self,Family, and writing a short paragraph on these topics. ii. Asking simple questions politely to get information and responding appropriately to questions. iii. Expressing thoughts and opinions. iv. Responding to questions politely by giving the required information	AVA: Flash card, Whiteboard, Rationale: To introduce the proper way to interact with people.
Stage 3 Evaluation	a. dramatizing texts and role-playing characters; b. retelling a story from a different point of view and presenting it in another genre, c. composing simple poems, stories and dialogues.	Acting out sections of the text. i. Retelling the story as one understands it and writing a short paragraph. ii. Composing simple poems, stories and dialogues at a level suitable to learners.	AVA: Exercise book, text book, Rationale: To test the students’ understanding of the topic.
Stage 4 Closure (10 minutes)	Oral test by asking them random question and homework based on topic to check their understanding.	1. Teacher will ask question on certain situation. Ex: “how are you?” 2. Student should give proper response. Ex: “I’m fine thank you.”	AVA: 1. Whiteboard 2. Handouts

Let's chat with Egon!

Okay now, I know you guys loves chatting so much on Yahoo Messenger, Skype and even on Facebook Chat. How about try something new? I have found a site where you could chat with the Egon, a creature that is programmed to chat with you and always have something to say.


It's a really good practice for your English, because Egon will only respond to sentence that is grammatically correct. In English of course. So rather than chatting with random strangers on Yahoo Chat Room, my not chat with Egon. It could improve your English. You could also analyze the way he talk and the way he answer your questions. But, don't insult him, because he won't just let you. He will talk back for sure!

CLICK TO CHAT WITH EGON

p/s: I had a fun time trying to mess with him. So I hope you will enjoy too, while improving your English! And oh yeah, Note that actually you are talking to a computer program – some answers might not make sense. But it's great fun anyway.

Pleasure Reading!

Now today I want to talk an issue where most of students have problems with. Reading! I mean reading something beneficial! Why students are so lazy to read? Especially English written materials. And they complain on how their vocabulary is limited and how they do not know how to construct a long and interesting sentences.

So, today I have a few recommendations for you lazy bones.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid".
Have you ever heard of the book? It's a graphic novel written by Jeff Kinney which is very interesting.

It is about Gregory "Greg" Heffley and his middle school life. It surely will fit anyone from young kids to adults as they sentence structure used was really easy, simple, yet very intereting and it makes you eager to read more. And with all the pictures, it will surely lure reader's interest from all ages.

It comes with another three sequels for those who just can't get enough of this book. "Rodrick Rules", "The Last Straw" and "Dog Days".

So for my students who are about to start their interest in reading I suggest you these books as starters.
It's really good in improving your vocabulary and of course to nurture you skills in making incredibly interesting sentences for your essay. So happy reading!
And oh yeah, don't just read like that, read it using your heart!

p/s: and oh yeah before I sign out, for those who are interested, you guys can contact me. ;-)

Do Not Laugh! You Might Do The Same!

I found this great website where it caters the ways of learning English through funny jokes and videos. It's a really great idea for those who are quite lazy to learn English the normal way. Haha..
So I was thinking to make these kind of activities in class soon. But before that I might as well show you guys a little sneak peak of what your going to do in the next class.

Here are some accidently funny mistakes done by students (of course not from our class but the one I've taken from the sites):

Mistake 1:

"Hello. I studied with you when I was a child insane school. I hope you remember me.."

Mistake 2:

"Waiter, could you bring me some kidnaps, please?"

Mistake 3:

"The cheerleaders threw up high into the air!"

Mistake 4:

"When I have enough money, I want to buy a big horse with three bedrooms and two bathrooms."

Mistake 5:

"On weekends, I enjoy playing in the piano."

So what we are going to do in the upcoming class is that we are going to identify the errors and there's a lot more silly mistakes done by students all over the world. But I do warn you guys not to laugh, because you might be one of the students!

So if you want to check the site before the class, here's the link; CLICK TO GO

Simple Ways To Focus In Class!

Students always lack of focus when they are in the class and I am so tired of telling my students to pay attention!

If you are eager to increase your focus in class and you just have no idea how to, or why you are distracted while the teachers are teaching, so my post this time will come in handy. Just make sure you read every line! Haha..

I come up with a simple formula [GEARS] as an easy tips anyone could use to focus in the class. All You have to do is do as I suggest!

1) Get Enough Beauty Sleep -

Okay, I know you all might think you are old enough to stay up until 2 or 3a.m, but that's not the case here. As a student, does not matter whether you are in a Primary school, a Secondary school or even a University or a College, you are NOT allowed to stay up all night long playing games or surfing the net! You have to take at least 6, 7, or 8 hours of sleep. 8 hours is the best. SO change your bedtime as early as 12a.m BY HOOK OR BY CROOK!

2) Eat HEALTHY breakfast -

Eating a breakfast in the morning gives you fresh energy for the day. And notice the capitalized HEALTHY? A healthy breakfast does not mean a big breakfast. A couple of toast, with a fresh Orange juice with pulpy (advisable but optional) and a nice serving of hard boiled egg is a good example for a healthy breakfast. You could also consider cereals and milk, nasi lemak, nasi goreng as your menu. But if you're thinking something big, STOP it! Just take just enough amount of food for your breakfast.

3) Avoid Sitting With Friends -

I know, I know. You all want to sit beside your best friends and together have a wonderful teenagehood, but if you care about your future, you might want to avoid sitting with your friends. Or if you'll end up dying without your friends besides you, you could always try your best to resist temptations to chat and moan about your problems. You could always chat about anything without any restriction outside of classroom hour, but avoid doing it while your in the class.

4) Make eye contact -

Your teacher is not just standing there in front of the class babbling for nothing! They are lecturing you the most precious speech you might ever heard! And your eyes should not be drifting out the window! Appreciate them. Make eye contact with them, look at them. Take notes and be alert of what they say. They might use their body language to give you hints on what's coming in the exams or what's important for your finals. This tips also could help you to give amazing focus to the lecture.

5) Stay involved in classroom activities -

This is one of the easiest way to be focus in class. Get yourself more involved in the class activities. Ask questions. DO the exercises. Discuss with your group or friends when you teacher ask you to. DO everything your teacher ask you to do. Obey their instructions because they only want the best out from you.


Now that you are done reading my simple tips, there's only one more thing I would like you to do. PRACTICE IT! DON'T just read it and keep doing all those things that have been keeping you to fail to focus in class! Or I have to become more strict in class! A RM10 fund every time you are making noise, daydreaming and doing something else during class!