Dear Class,
We are now finishing our 4 week Conversation and Culture class. What memories will you take home? What new things did you experience? Did you make new friends from different countries? Did you have fun visiting interesting tourist destinations? Did you try some new food? Did you leave your country for the first time? How did you feel about the American way of life?
Also, what did you learn? Did you enjoy our class blog? Did you learn anything new in grammar - adjective clauses, noun clauses, and adverb clauses? Did finding the main idea in reading help you? Did my comments help you improve your essay writing? Did you learn how to make citations when doing a research? It is very specific in English. We were certainly very busy with grammar, reading and writing!!
How about your other classes? Was it useful to learn new English idioms? Did you like your oral presentations? How were your electives?
Well, my best wishes to all of you as we say goodbye. For those of you going home, I hope you will always have a good memory of your time here. For those of you who will stay here, I hope this class helped you as you will face even more English academic challenges in your bachelor's or master's degree studies.
With warm regards,
Mrs. Tong
Friday, February 28, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Tpoic #3 Memorable Destination
By now, you have passed at least three or four or more weekends in the U.S. I know many of you have gone to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Laguna Beach, Phoenix, etc. You have been having fun going to many exciting places! Which has been your most memorable destination and why?
Friday, February 14, 2014
Topic #2 Someone You Admire
Who is someone you admire? It could be someone close to you - your father, mother, other relative or friend who you look up to. It could be an athlete who has remarkable skills. It could be a political or historical figure who did something great for your country or the people of another country. It could be a religious leader who inspires you. Or it could just be someone who has overcome many difficulties.
Monday, February 17th will be Presidents' Day in which U.S. remembers two of her greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington's was born on February 22, 1732 and Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. Most people know that George Washington was America's first president and a great leader. He was actually a multifaceted man. Because his father died, the family did not have enough money to send him to England for a formal university education, so Washington taught himself all he knew. His first profession was a surveyor. He was an excellent dancer, the best horseman of his time, and known as the "foremost farmer" of America because of his experiments with crop rotation and fertilizers. He had a huge, beautiful plantation in Virginia. He called his slaves "My People" and when he died, he freed all of them. He was a military leader in the Seven Year War, then in the Revolutionary War. He was elected to be the first president for two 4-year terms and established the tradition of being a president, not a king, and being called "Mr. President," not "Your Majesty." He was a humble man who loved and honored God. Immediately after his being sworn in as the president, he walked over to a nearby church and knelt down and prayed for God to help him lead this country.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of this country. He was born into a poor farming family in Illinois and was a self-educated lawyer.The Civil War started in 1861, the year after Lincoln was elected, 1860. Lincoln faced the insurmountable challenge of uniting a divided nation. He said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free." His later decision to free all the slaves was the biggest turning point in this country's \history - that all American people no matter what color you are will be free and equal. After the war ended in 1865, Lincoln used "generous reconciliation" to rebuild the south. He modeled the Christian principles of love and forgiveness to reunify this country. Instead of punishing the enemy, Lincoln issued much money be sent to the south for their reconstruction. Lincoln is remembered for preserving the union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the national government and modernizing the economy. For more than 100 years, American has been a country that has been learning to overcome division and prejudice and discrimination. Equality is an ideal that America strives for.
These two great president are people that I admire and that most Americans admire. Who do you admire and why?
Monday, February 17th will be Presidents' Day in which U.S. remembers two of her greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington's was born on February 22, 1732 and Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. Most people know that George Washington was America's first president and a great leader. He was actually a multifaceted man. Because his father died, the family did not have enough money to send him to England for a formal university education, so Washington taught himself all he knew. His first profession was a surveyor. He was an excellent dancer, the best horseman of his time, and known as the "foremost farmer" of America because of his experiments with crop rotation and fertilizers. He had a huge, beautiful plantation in Virginia. He called his slaves "My People" and when he died, he freed all of them. He was a military leader in the Seven Year War, then in the Revolutionary War. He was elected to be the first president for two 4-year terms and established the tradition of being a president, not a king, and being called "Mr. President," not "Your Majesty." He was a humble man who loved and honored God. Immediately after his being sworn in as the president, he walked over to a nearby church and knelt down and prayed for God to help him lead this country.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of this country. He was born into a poor farming family in Illinois and was a self-educated lawyer.The Civil War started in 1861, the year after Lincoln was elected, 1860. Lincoln faced the insurmountable challenge of uniting a divided nation. He said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free." His later decision to free all the slaves was the biggest turning point in this country's \history - that all American people no matter what color you are will be free and equal. After the war ended in 1865, Lincoln used "generous reconciliation" to rebuild the south. He modeled the Christian principles of love and forgiveness to reunify this country. Instead of punishing the enemy, Lincoln issued much money be sent to the south for their reconstruction. Lincoln is remembered for preserving the union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the national government and modernizing the economy. For more than 100 years, American has been a country that has been learning to overcome division and prejudice and discrimination. Equality is an ideal that America strives for.
These two great president are people that I admire and that most Americans admire. Who do you admire and why?
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Topic #1 - Introductions
Hello Class,
Welcome to Reading & Writing F in UCI's February Conversation & Culture Class! I am happy to teach you this month! In class blog, I hope we can share about ourselves and to get to know each other. This is a fun form of communication and expression and I hope you will all enjoy it.
For each post, write Topic and the corresponding number. For the first blog blog, please share a little about yourself. Tell me about your family, your interests, and your major. Also, tell me why you chose your major.
As for myself, I have been teaching ESL for about 10 years. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world and learning about their cultures. I have 3 daughters, ages 22, 18, and 14, and have been married for 23 years. My family came from China about 60 years ago. My parents first came here in the mid 1950's to study for their university degrees. My brother and I were born here, and likewise, our children are also born here, making them third generation Chinese-Americans. In my spare time, I like to do things with my hands, such as gardening, painting, or other craft making.
I look forward to finding out about you! Happy blogging!!
Mrs. Tong
Welcome to Reading & Writing F in UCI's February Conversation & Culture Class! I am happy to teach you this month! In class blog, I hope we can share about ourselves and to get to know each other. This is a fun form of communication and expression and I hope you will all enjoy it.
For each post, write Topic and the corresponding number. For the first blog blog, please share a little about yourself. Tell me about your family, your interests, and your major. Also, tell me why you chose your major.
As for myself, I have been teaching ESL for about 10 years. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world and learning about their cultures. I have 3 daughters, ages 22, 18, and 14, and have been married for 23 years. My family came from China about 60 years ago. My parents first came here in the mid 1950's to study for their university degrees. My brother and I were born here, and likewise, our children are also born here, making them third generation Chinese-Americans. In my spare time, I like to do things with my hands, such as gardening, painting, or other craft making.
I look forward to finding out about you! Happy blogging!!
Mrs. Tong
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)