Week 2 Homework : What I did on the Weekend / Climbing the Learning Mountain

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VU22358 Develop Learning Goals

  

Setting goals? Making plans? Learning to learn? Self study? These ideas can be very confusing.

Let's use some time in class to research a project that will assist you in meeting goals, improving skills and understanding your learning journey.



Let's think about Learning.

Learning English is like climbing a mountain ... it can be very difficult! But if you have good training and tools it can be a lot easier.

Discussion Exercise 1: What do you need to learn another language well? What tools do you need? 






Order these from 1-8 in importance ...

motivation 
dictionary 
a teacher 
other people to practice with 
computer and internet 
textbooks 
a class 
CDs, tapes and videos

Can you think of two other "tools" you need?

Discussion Exercise 2: Learning Mountain

We study Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills in our English class. Which skill is the easiest for you? Which skill is the most difficult?

1. Print out this Learning Mountain exercise
2. Fill it in by yourself - from easiest (base) to most difficult (peak)
3. In groups of 4 compare your Learning mountain. Are your feelings / opinions the same or different?

Download Learning Mountain worksheet (PDF 60kb)

Now compare your Learning Mountain about learning English to my own learning mountain about learning Spanish. Are your feelings / opinions similar to mine?

Download Dale's Learning Mountain worksheet (PDF 72kb)

Mini-Grammar: Adjective / Comparatives / Superlatives

easy --> easier --> the easiest

difficult --> more difficult --> the most difficult

the same --> the same as

different --> different to/from

similar --> similar to

GOALS

What are goals? How do we achieve them? What do we need to achieve them?

Like kicking a football goal we decided you needed skill, experience and coaching to do this

Remember our classroom discussion ...





Exercise 1 --- Complete the table

MY GOAL IS ... TO HAVE A HAPPY LIFE ... so ....

WHAT DO I NEED TO GET THERE?

I need ...                                                                          How will I get it?

GOOD HEALTH     <<< What can I do to get this? eg. exercise, eat well, sleep well, rest everyday
GOOD ADVICE     <<< What can I do to get this?

MONEY                  <<< What can I do to get this?

LOVE/FRIENDSHIP <<< What can I do to get this?

TIME                     <<< What can I do to get this?

INTERESTS        <<< What can I do to get this?

Exercise 2 --- Create a plan

Use Future Tense "going to" (for intention)

Example ...

My GOAL is to have a good life so I am going to improve my health, get lots of advice from other people, save $50 a week so I can go on a holiday at the end of the year. I am going to make more effort to see my friends and spend more time going out with my kids. I am going to limit how much time I spend watching TV and staying back at work. I'm going to put aside 1 hour everyday to read more or do some drawing. 

Barriers ...                                                                                   Strategy ...

I might be too tired after work to exercise                         Wake up earlier and do exercise before work

I might not have $50 a week to save              Look at all my purchases to see if I can make savings

can you think of other barriers and strategies?

Exercise 3 --- Try our approach with these (possible projects)...

Goal - I want to get my licence

Goal - I want to reduce my energy bills

Goal - I want to do internet shopping and banking

Goal - I want to learn yoga



ASK YOUR TEACHER TO HELP YOU WITH SOME IDEAS AND RESOURCES. HATCH A PLAN TOGETHER. YOU CAN REVIEW AND CHANGE IT AS YOU GO


VU22601 / VU22603 : WHAT DO YOU DO ON THE WEEKENDS?

In Week 1 we listened to people talking about "what they do on weekends" (present simple) and we practised dialogues about "what we are doing on the weekend" (plan for the future).

Exercise 1 : Here is a homework activity to do about Valeria from Argentina (elllo.org)

Exercise 2 : Here  is a practice exercise and dialogue about what someone is going to do on the weekend (Elllo.org)






Let's change the time frame and talk about "What we did on the weekend" (past simple)


Here is a unit about "What did you do on the weekend?" and the past simple to help you revise (PDF) Interchange, Cambridge Uni Press


Grammar : 

Past Simple for Talking about Ourselves (and what we did)

This week and next we will focus on the Past Simple for talking about ourselves just in the way Maria and Carmen did in the stories we read (Passages to English 2)

We need to know how to form the past with regular verbs (using -ed / d)

We need to know some irregular past verbs (eg. make --->; made)

We need to know how to form questions (using the helping verb "Did / Didn''t ...?"

Lots of exercises here (just do a few) (First English Org)

Here is a good video to review your study of the Past Simple (especially the tricky question form)

  

Spelling and Pronunciation
Many people new to English find the correct pronunciation of -ED difficult because it changes depending on the final sound of some verbs --- /id/ /t/ /d/

Here is a chart to help you ... (Woodward English)

Watch the video if you need to practice more ...

Week 1 Homework : Introductions, Casual Conversations and Invitations

Homework Week 1 : Casual Conversation




I'm Dale, your teacher.

I wonder what questions you are going to ask me?
You can find out a little bit about me here :-)

Let's use this site and its links for study in and out of class.







VU22601 - Introductions, Casual Conversations and Invitations

Let's review introductions (and spelling names)

Watch these people introducing themselves ...



You can do some simple exercises about the video here. (from Real English - Lesson 6)

When you meet someone for the first time what questions are OK to ask?
What things are OK to talk about? Which things are not OK to talk about?

Exercise 1

Decide if these questions and comments are POLITE (OK) ✓or IMPOLITE ✘(not OK) when you talk to someone for the first time ...

• What do you do for a living?
• Why don't you have any children?
• Tell me a little about yourself
• Whereabouts do you live?
• What's your street and house number?
• How old are you?
• Have you visited any other countries?
• Do you play or follow any sports?
• You're really good looking, you know.
• How long have you been in Australia?
• What shocking weather we're having!

Download this worksheet for you and partner to complete

Listening 1

Let's listen to two people meeting for the first time (WCEC students only)

Mp3

Quiz

Vocab

Script

Exercise 2 : Practice Dialogue : Making Conversation (OUP)

Click here or on the picture above to visit the OUP site.

We will use this dialogue in class but you can also use it at home for your own practice.
Print the dialogue and change it to talk about you in your local area.

Exercise 3 : Watch Our ESL Soapie for the Semester ...

"Sisters and Brothers" (Living English / Australia Plus) 

Pay attention to what people say when meeting one another for the first time ...

 

VU21458 / VU21461

Exercise 4 :  Listening / Speaking : Invitations (Certificate II)

In preparation for the first Assessment Task in Week 3, here are some conversations by students from last year's Certificate II.

Let's see if they include ...

1) A Greeting
2) An opening
3) Good turn taking
4) Clear communication
5) Confirmation of time, day, date
6) Use of 1 or 2 common expressions
7) Good pronunciation
8) Closing of the conversation

Remember : There are no hard rules for a casual conversation

1. Invitation to a Wedding  (Speakers : CS and ND) - MP3 (45 secs)

2. Invitation to a Party (Speakers : JP and HH) - MP3 (50 secs)

3. Invitation to a BBQ Speakers : GZ and DP) - MP3 (1m 06 secs)

4. Invitation to a Party (2) (Speakers : SP and TS) - MP3 (33 secs)

You be the judge! Listen to the conversations ...

DOWNLOAD this worksheet and give the conversations a score


Grammar Review for this week ...

Simple Present Tense



Present Continuous for the Future