Topic 7 - Summer & Beyond

Dear Class,

This will be our last class blog.  I hope you enjoyed our blogs as a means to share your experiences, opinions, and ideas with the rest of the class, as well as to read your classmates' blogs and get to know them.  Hopefully, the blogs helped us form class bonds of friendship and understanding.

So, how was your summer and what did you learn?  Did you have new experiences, such as going to Six Flags Magic Mountain, or visiting some new places over the weekends?  Did you learn anything new in life, such as learning to cook a new dish, getting a driver's license, or resolving a roommate issue?  Finally, did you learn anything from our composition & grammar class?  Have you figured out what an adjective clause is and whether it needs commas?  Are you now able to write an English academic five paragraph essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion?  Have you practiced typing with nine or ten fingers instead of just two? Do you now know how to upload your essays into Turnitin Part 1 and Part 2?

What are your future plans after our class?  Will you continue to study in ALP?  Will you go to another school?  Will you go back to your home country?  Do you have travel plans?

I enjoyed getting to know each of you and teaching you this summer.  Enjoy your summer break!  Best wishes for all your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Tong

Topic 6 - Advice

Imagine that your cousin/brother/sister is coming in August 2013 to study in ALP for the first time.  He or she is also at the intermediate level. He has never come to the U.S. before and has no idea what to expect.  He lived in his parents' house before, and this will be his first time living on his own.  He will live in the CSUF dorm, University Village. He studied some English before, but he never had any western friends and is not used to eating western food.

What kind of advice would you give him?  What should he expect when he comes here?  What should he do to prepare himself?  What should he do after he gets here?

You can write a letter to him or her.  "Dear... You should..."
Or you can write in conditional tense, "I would tell him to..."  "I would tell him that..."

What are some things you wish someone had told you or warned you about before you came here?

Topic 5 - Dream Job

There are thousands of jobs people in this world have. There are regular jobs like businessmen, teachers, engineers, bankers, etc.  Then there are unusual jobs like stunt men, makeup artists, or etymologists (people who study bugs).

If you did not have to worry about money, what is a job you would like to have for fun?  If money were not an issue and you could do anything you wanted, what would you like to do?  Would you like to be a professional soccer player, or would you like to be a famous chef?  Would you like to be a movie star on TV or maybe a singer on radio?  How about a professional video game player who reaches the highest level and has the most points? Or would you like to be the computer programmer who designs video games?  Have you thought of being a political ambassador for your country and traveling around the world to meet important people?

I think it would be fun to be a travel guide.  Have you ever watched travel shows on TV in which a guide goes to different countries and introduces those countries?  The guide shows the TV audience famous and beautiful places in each country, as well as local hot spots.  The guide may eat some special food from each country and talk about it. He will share what he thinks about the food, the people, the culture, and the famous places in different countries.   That would be a dream job for me.  It would be fun to travel around the world and tell a TV audience about my experiences.

What is your dream job?

Topic 4 - Places You Recommend

What are some places you recommend that are worth going to visit?  If I were to visit your country, where should I go?  Have you traveled to any place (in the world) that you can recommend to the class?  I know there is a spectacular mall in Dubai and a beautiful beach, Messilah Beach, in Kuwait.  In the past some of my students have traveled to England, Egypt, and Indonesia.  How about you?  Is there any place you have visited that stands out in your mind as a beautiful, interesting, or special place that everybody should go to?

Several years ago, my family went on vacation to Lake Tahoe.  It is in Northern California, about 9 hours drive from here.  The natural beauty of the area is unforgettable! Surrounding the lake are beautiful, tall mountains with many green trees.  The large lake is filled with clear blue-green water that is ice cold, even in the summer.  There is a black sand beach on the north side because there was once a volcano thousands of years ago.  On the south side, there is scenic bay, called Emerald Bay.

In addition to the view, Lake Tahoe also offers many activities.  You can boat, fish, and swim in the lake.  In the winter, you can enjoy skiing and snowboarding in the mountains.  In the summer, you can hike and go horseback riding.  All year round people enjoy visiting Lake Tahoe.  If you have time, I recommend visiting Lake Tahoe.

Topic 3 - Disastrous Vacation

Did you ever go on a trip or vacation in which everything went wrong?  Maybe you went out somewhere and lost your phone, or you forgot your wallet at home, or you had car trouble.  Or maybe you just had many problems during your tip.

About seven or eight years ago, my family went on a vacation to Canada.  First, we flew to Chicago.  Because of a storm, the connecting flight to Toronto was canceled.  All the nearby hotels were full, so we had to spend the night in the airport.  A couple of days later, my family ate lunch in a restaurant.  When we finished lunch, I looked, but couldn't find my purse.  Someone had stolen my purse!!  I lost my phone, passport, car keys, and camera memory chip.  Lastly, it was hot during the summer trip, so my family went to a water park.  Shortly after we got there, it started to rain.  It rained and rained and poured, and finally we had to leave.  Although we had many misfortunes on this trip, we still enjoyed our time and have good memories.

How about you?  Have you ever had a "bad" outing?  It could be a day trip or a several day vacation.  Please describe your experiences.

Topic 2 - Differences between Your Country and the U.S.

Good morning class!  Happy Friday!

Now that you have been in the U.S. for a few weeks, a few months, or even a few years, what are some differences that you have noticed between your country and the U.S.?  Don't write about the obvious, like the fact that the middle eastern countries are primarily Muslim in their religion, whereas the U.S. has many different religions. 

Here are some of my observations from my travels abroad.  When I traveled to Taiwan, I noticed that to turn on a ceiling light, you flip the wall switch down.  To turn it off, you flip the switch up.  In America, it is the opposite.  Up means on, and down means off.  

In the restrooms in Asia, they do not provide toilet paper.  You must carry your own toilet paper.  In America, every restroom stall provides a roll of toilet paper.  In America, we call the room, a "Restroom." In the Philippines, they call it a "Comfort Room."  Hong Kong is similar to England.  They call it a "Wash Room" or "Water closet." 

In the Philippines, every time I entered a store, I was greeted with, "Yes, ma'am," instead of "Hello, how can I help you?" or simply "Good morning."  I thought their greeting of "Yes, ma'am" was very odd because I didn't ask a question or issue any request.  That was their customary greeting.

Anyway, what things have you noticed here that are very different from your country?

I look forward to reading your observations!
Mrs. Tong

Topic 1 - Introductions

Dear Class,

I am happy to teach you this summer! In our summer composition class, I hope you will learn new ways to express your ideas, both in style and also in grammartical correctness.  Our weekly class blogs are another way to share about ourselves and to get to know each other.

In this week's blog, please share a little about yourself.  Tell me about your family, your interests, and your major.  Also, tell me why you chose this major.

As for myself, I have been teaching ESL for about 9 years.  I have 3 daughters, ages 21, 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