POST 9: EVALUATION OF YOUR BLOGGING EXPERIENCE

Write about your experience using blogs in the English class.

Say:

> What you think about the experience in general
> How much you feel your writing skills have developed
> What you would like to include in the future
> What else you would like to write about


Wordcount: 200
Make comments on 3 of your classmates' posts.

POST 8: ZOMBIES

Dear weird students,
I don't know what's wrong with you guys, but you have chosen to write about zombies this week. What a weird topic!!!
Here you have some questions to guide your weird writing:

Introduction:
-What are zombies in  a few words.
-When did you first hear about them?
-What is the best or worst thing about them?

Paragraph 1:
-Do you think  zombies exist?
-Why do you think some people believe in zombies?
-Do you know anybody who has joined a zombie cult?

Paragraph 2:
-Are you afraid of zombies or were you as a child?
-Do you know anyone who is afraid of them?

Final paragraph:
Which well known person reminds you of a zombie?

Ahem! More balanced students might want to write about something more down to earth like World War 2. If that's your case, try and answer the following:

-What is the most shocking aspect of this war to you?
-What lesson have you learnt from this war?
-Do you think wars are necessary or can be justified?
-Would you be willing to go to war? If yes, what for?
-Do you think World War 3 will ever take place? Why?/Why not?

Remember the wordcount is 200.
Make comments on 3 of your classmates' posts.

GIVING A PRESENTATION

Please find below the list of expressons for giving a presentation. Remember you are not going to include the expressions in the box this time.

GIVING A PRESENTATION

►Starting the presentation    • Good morning/good afternoon ladies and gentlemen / teacher and classmates

►Introducing yourself •My name’s/ I’m ... •I´m studying ... at the University of ...

►Stating the topic of your presentation
   •The topic of my presentation today is ...
   • What I'm going to talk about today is ...

   •Today I’m going to talk about ...

   •I’d like to talk about ...

   •My presentation is about ...

   • My presentation today deals with…

► Explaining why this topic interests you   •I’m interested in this topic because...    •This topic interests me because...   • I like this topic because...     • The reason I love this topic is that...

    

 ► Explaining the importance/relevance of this topic in your field

• This is important because ... • This (topic) is relevant because ... • We should know about this topic because ...

►Stating the main points    •The main points I will be talking about are: / The
    main points of my presentation are:  first(ly) ...  ,     secondly/next,...,      finally... we're going to look at ...  

►Introducing the first point    • Let's start/begin with ...  

►Showing graphics, transparencies, slides etc.    • I'd like to illustrate this by showing you...  • Please, have a look at this slide that shows... • This slide shows…

►Moving on to the next point    • Now let's move on to  ...  • Let´s continue          with... • My next point is...  •  Let's look now at...     •   Let me turn now to...

►Giving more details    • I'd like to expand on this aspect/problem/point    • Let me elaborate on that    • Would you like me to expand on/elaborate on that?   ►Changing to a different topic    • I'd like to turn to something completely different ►Referring back to an earlier point    • Let me go back to what I said earlier about ... ►Summarizing or repeating the main points    • I'd like to recap the main points of my presentation      - First I covered      - Then we talked about      - Finally we looked at    • I'd  now like to sum up the main points which were: ►Conclusion    • I'm going to conclude by... saying that/inviting you to/ quoting ...    • In conclusion, let me... leave you with this thought/invite you to   ►Questions    • Finally, I'll be happy to answer your questions.      • Now I'd like to invite any questions you may have.    • Do you have any questions?

►Ending the presentation • That brings me to the end of my presentation.
• OK, that ends my talk. Thank you for your attention  • That covers all I wanted to say today. Thank you all for being such an attentive audience.

• So, that's all I have to say. Thank you everybody. • Well, I have told you all about…
     • That’s all I have to say about … Many thanks for your attention.

SOME HELP TO WRITE YOUR POSTS

Here you have some important information that will help you organize your posts and improve your writing skills:

HOW TO WRITE A COMPOSITION

Different Parts of a Composition:
Whatever you choose to write for a composition, you usually follow the same basic structure: Introduction/Opening + Body + Conclusion/Closing

1. Opening (1 paragraph)
-It consists of a presentation of the topic (use an "attention grabber": something to capture the reader’s attention).
-It contains the ideas you are going to deal with (a quick overview of what’s coming)

2. Body (2-3 paragraphs)
-The body is a group of paragraphs that develop on the main idea as introduced in the opening.
-Each paragraph argues, describes, explains, discusses, defines, clarifies, illustrates or whatever on the opening statement.
-One idea is discussed in each paragraph.

3. Closing (1 paragraph)
-It can be a summing up, reviewing or restating the main idea in different words or briefly stating your opinion, feelings or suggesting a solution, or some “food for thought” or a wish…

Ensure the concluding paragraph is not too long; three or four sentences will be enough.
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How can you write an attention grabber?

By...
-Making an unexpected statement
-Using Humor
-Using a relevant quotation
-Posing a Rhetorical question designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer
-Shocking the Audience with an unexpected fact or statistic

Examples:
A good attention grabber: "The death penalty is the most premeditated of murders"; “Elvis is not dead...”; “Who said that the countryside is boring?”; “Seagulls are just rats with wings”; “Hating seagulls is like being racist or homophobic”

A bad attention grabber: “Today I have to write about...”; “the topic of this post is...”

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PUTTING YOUR IDEAS TOGETHER

Here is a “helping word” to students in trouble, I mean, several words that will help you when you find it hard to write something  because your ideas are not connected.

These expressions are used to introduce a new topic:

-as for, in regards to, concerning (en cuanto a, en relación a)
-in reference to, with regards to (tocante a , concerniente a )
-about, concerning (acerca de)

You can use these words (Connectors) to link your ideas.

RESULT – SUMMARY
So – Therefore, – as a result – thus – Consequently, – in this way – in short – in brief
CONCESSION
However, – Nevertheless, – despite – in spite of – yet – although – though – still …
CONTRAST
Instead – in comparison – but – on ( the ) one hand – on the other hand – by contrast – whereas – otherwise
ADDITION
Also – and – Furthermore, – Moreover, – in addition ( to ) – besides – above all…
REASON
Because – since – as - because of , due to – thanks to - that’s why – that’s the reason why -
EMPHASIS
As a matter of fact, – in particular – Of course, – In fact, – indeed – in any event…
ILLUSTRATION
For instance – for example …
REPETITION
Similarly – likewise – in the same way…
SEQUENCE
First – next – then – finally – at last – eventually – in the end…In conclusion,
Firstly – Secondly- thirdly…

And here are some useful phrases for opinions:

- Many people claim that…
- It is true that….
- This is not an exaggeration … even though…
- I tend to dis/agree with …
- In my view…
-As far as I'm concerned,
- In conclusion, – To conclude,
- I can understand… However, …
- As we have seen/will see, there are ( at least ) two sides to this issue.
- I am convinced that we can / deal with this situation /improve this situation / solve this problem…
- This is an issue that / can be solved / must be faced …
- Another aspect of the issue is…
- In my opinion, the advantages of… far outweigh the disadvantages…
- We can argue that… but…
- Personally I am in favor of…..

On these websites you will find some exercises on connectors.

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/transitions/2.xml

http://www.englishdaily626.com/sentence_connectors.php?005

http://sana.tkk.fi/awe/cohesion/signposts/contrast/exercises/1r.html

POST 7: A CAREER RELATED WEBSITE OR AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD

Since in order to write today’s post you can choose ONE out of two options, I have written two sample posts to guide your writing (See below).

Post 1 (Instructions).
Write about a career-related website that you enjoy visiting.

You should:
- provide a link
- describe the website (sections, features,etc)
- say how often you visit the site
- explain why you like the site.

Make sure you add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts.
-Word Count: 170

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Post 2 (Instructions)
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

Say:
-Who she/he is.(short biography)
-What she/he has done. (examples of their work)
-Why you like her/him.
-Include his/her image

> About 170 words
Remember to add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts

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The BBC English learning website.

Whether you’re a student or a teacher, you should visit BBC Learning English. To me,  it’s one of the best sites to look for different kinds of information related to teaching and learning English as a second language.

But it’s not only about learning, it also has lots of articles related to culture. It’s a great site where students can do exercises, read pieces of current news, practice their listening skills, improve their pronunciation, and even have fun playing games, watching videos  or chatting with people from all over the world.

If you are a teacher, you also have lots of options, for example you can download up to date material for your classes, that you can adopt or adapt,  get new ideas to improve your lessons or exchange information with other teachers.

Some of its regular features that Ilike include, among others,: “Words in the News”, which contains written and video stories; “Express English”, in which people are asked about their opinions on different things -Each week there’s a new topic and the interesting thing is that you can also join the conversation; “Quiznet”, which gives you the chance to increase your vocabulary on different topics; and I also like “6 Minute English”, a short radio programme that helps you improve both your listening comprehension skills and your vocabulary while you learn about an interesting issue.

I like this site because everything in it has been carefully done by very professional people, it’s very user-friendly, so you can find things easily, and everything is interesting and down-to-earth, I mean , it is related to real life.  For all these reasons I visit this site on a regular basis and I strongly reccomend it to you. The address to this website is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

An expert that I admire

“What a great activity! It’s interesting and fun to do”. This is what I usually say when I see English text books that have been written by Penny Ur.  But Penny is more than an experienced  text book writer, she´s a remarkable English Language Teaching author who has helped teachers develop their teaching skills, that is to say, she teaches teachers to teach.

 I don’t know much about her personal life, all I know is that she is Israeli or American and that she studied at Oxford and Cambridge  Universities.  I also know that she has travelled extensively giving conferences worldwide and has written lots of papers, which are very teacher-friendly, I mean, it’s very easy to understand what she is trying to communicate and her tips are really helpful.

Some of her most prominent books, among others,  are: Five Minute Activities, A Course in Language Teaching , and  Grammar Practice Activities. When I was studying in London I used one of her books, which was called Proficiency in English, if I remember well.

Although her books are more concerned with the teaching of grammar than on improving your communicative  skills, I like her because she is able to teach structures in an interesting and meaningful fashion, which is something that not many writers are able to do. Finally, there are writers concerned with Teaching English as a Foreign Language who have written long, boring and hard to understand papers. Instead, she has written short and clear documents that say more than a million pages.

POST 6: BOOKS AND READING

When I was a kid my father used to keep all the newspapers he bought in a room, along with some magazines, books and the notebooks my brothers and I had worked with in the previous years, and also old cards and toys. Everything in this messy little room (huge for a little six / seven year old boy like me) was laid on some improvised shelves my dad had built, and, for some unknown reason, he forbade us to get into it. So being in that room was thrilling and exciting, because we suspected something misterious was hidden in there, lurking somewhere in the books or in the magazines. That way, after stealthily closing the door behind us, we sat on the floor of this room and read most of the stuff that got into our hands and, without noticing it, we became magazine and book worms.

This week you have chosen to write about Literature and Books, so below you will find a sample post and some questions to guide your writing. Please choose one or two questions to write the introduction and about the things you like reading, but answer all the four questions about a book you have read recently.

Introduction: Your reading habits.
-Are you a book worm or do you only read books from time to time?
-Did you read books when you were a child?
-How many books have you read in your life?

Things you like reading.-What sort of books do you enjoy reading? Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
-Who is your favorite writer?
-What is your favorite book?
-Who is your favorite character from literature?

Tell us a little about a book you have read recently:
-Did you enjoy it?
-How long did it take to read?
-Briefly, in one or two sentences, what is the story about?
-Who would you reccomend it to?


Make sure you write at least 160 words and leave comments on three of your classmates’ posts.



I want those two books! I answered decidedly when my father, who had taken me to a bric-a-brac street market, asked me what I wanted him to buy me. I was around six years old back then and, since we didn’t have a TV set at home, reading was my favourite thing to do, and I devoured Disney cartoons, fairy tales, short stories and kid’s novels. So, answering Dad’s question was easy. I still wonder were those two books ended up.
Now I enjoy reading short stories and novels. I really like Julio Cortazar’s short stories, so I think I’ll start rereading them one of these days, and I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction novels. I have read a lot of detective stories written in English lately, mainly by Ruth Rendell and P D James, but my favourite writers are some Latin american authors, such as, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Marquez and Isabel Allende.
I recently read a book called “A Special Relationship”, by Douglas Kennedy. It’s about an American journalist in her late thirties who gets pregnant to a British correspondent she meets in the middle of a war. Everything is a bed of roses at the beginning, but suddenly things change dramatically and her life becomes miserable. It didn’t take me too long to read this novel because the story is very catchy and is surprisingly well written, especially considering the fact that the author of this book is a man, but the main character and first person narrator is a woman; he is able to write as if he were a woman very convincingly. I wouldn’t hesitate to reccomend this book to you.

WEB QUEST 1: LONDON

Continuous Assessment 2 is the first of two webquests we’ll have this term.


Instructions:
You are going to spend a week in London evaluating tourist locations for an end of year study trip.
Here is a list of things you want to do while you are there. Follow the links and fill in the table.


Half Day Outings
London Eye
http://www.londoneye.com/
The British Museum
http://www.britishmuseum.org/
The Tower of London
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/ (including Crown Jewels)
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
http://www.madametussauds.com/london/
The Natural History Museum
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/
The Tate Modern Art Gallery
http://www.tate.org.uk/

Full day
Kew Gardens
http://www.kew.org/
Camden Market
http://www.camden-market.org/

London Tube Map:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf



For each location say:
What day you will visit,
How much you will have to pay to get in,
Which Tube station you will travel to (nearest to location).


What will you do on the other days? (2 full days / 4 half days / 1 full day / 2 half days)
Search the web for other things to do in London.
What is the total cost?

POST 5: A PHOTOGRAPH THAT YOU LIKE

Say Cheeeeeeese!

Taking photographs is one of my hobbies and I’m pretty good at it, or so they say. I started to take photos when I was in my twenties with an old analog Zenit camera that someone lent me, so by now I have around ten albums with old prints, plus the photos I have taken with my digital camera. I couldn’t afford a good camera when I was young because they were very expensive, but nowadays they are a lot cheaper. I have had five cameras so far, and the latest is a digital one which allows me to take as many pictures as I want to, so I’m very pleased with it.
Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you have a camera? Do you collect printed photos? Are you a photolog freak?
This week you are expected to write about a photograph that you like. Make sure to include the following in your post:

Say:

Who took it
What it shows
When it was taken
Why you like it

Upload it too.

Include any other information you'd like to mention.
Write at least 150 words.

Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

Please, have a look at my sample post below.

Snap shooting around London.


I took this photo on my last trip to London, in July 2011, when I went to Camdem Town Market Place, which is a large market where you can find lots of things, such as handcraft, clothes, ethnic food, paintings, jewelry, rugs, antichs, -you name it-, therefore there are lots of things worth a click.
This photo shows a very eclectic shop there, where, as you can see, they sell vintage clothes and old pieces of furniture, along with some typical English pastries and beverages, and I took it while I was having a nice cup of tea.
I know that this is a rather simple photo, but I like it since it reminds me of the good time that I spent in that city and in that cafe, which is a very special place with a very pleasant atmosphere where they play music from the 50s to the 70s, and where sometimes one of the owners plays beautiful tunes in the piano.

POST 4: ANIMALS AND PETS

Some people are animal lovers, others use and abuse animals. Some people can't live without their pet animals, others raise animals to make a living . I like pets, but I don´t like the idea of having animal hair all over my home.
I got my first dog, which I still remember after all these years, when I was around six, and I was very fond of another dog we had when I was a teenager, but, even though I would like to have a dog now, my flat is so small that there´s no room to swing a cat in it, -like they say, let alone a dog!

I absolutely disagree with animal mistreatment. I think animals can only be used for medical research as long as they are not hurt in any way, and it really upsets me to see what some scientists do to some defendless animals. With regard to keeping animals in zoos, I used to think that that was a reprehensible practice, however I’ve changed my mind now that I know that, in some cases, they have been saved from a certain death and would surely die if they were set free.
People who have a dog should be responsible owners and take the necessary precautions so it won’t hurt another animal or person. I’ve been bitten by dogs twice and, -believe me, it wasn’t funny at all! The owners of these dogs should have been more careful and known that pets have to be well taught, the way children are.
According to the Chinese astrology I was born under the year of the dog, and if I had to be born again an animal I would probably choose a dog because they are loyal, friendly, intelligent and fun to be around. Do you know what animal you are according to the Chinese Zodiac?
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Today you have decided to write about animals, so here you have some questions to help you write your post.

Do you consider yourself an animal lover?
Did you use to have a pet when you were a kid?
Do you have a pet now? If so, tell us about it. If not, would you like to have one?
What animal do you think makes the best pet? Why?
Do you know someone who owns an unusual pet?

How do you feel about the use of animals for medical research?
Do you think it is right to keep wild animals in a zoo?
Do you think people should buy and wear fur coats?

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? (... or by a snake!!?)
Do you think dogs should be banned or muzzled?

If you could be an animal, what would you (choose to) be? Why?



KEEP IN MIND:
- Leave a comment on 3 of your classmates’ posts
- The word count for this post is 140 words

POST 3: MY FAVOURITE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY

Before you get down to writing today's post, I would like you to think about which topics you would like to write about this semester.


This week you are supposed to write about your favourite piece of technology. Make sure you read my sample post before you write yours.

Say:

What it is.
When you got it.
How you use it.
How often you use it.
Why you like it.
What life would be like without it.

- 130 words minimum.
- Include a picture.
- Comment on at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs.
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Meet my best friend: My computer.

My friends have been absolutely superseded by my computer! When I was a kid our old TV set was the technologycal device I loved the most and I I used to think that nothing would replace it as a source of entertainment. However, my computer has now turned into my favourite piece of technology to have fun with, so I spend more time sitting at my computer than being with my friends..
I got my first computer around sixteen years ago and then I thought that it was like a magical, miraculous instrument. I just couldn’t believe my eyes: it was able to do complicated things, like counting words, arranging things alphabetically, or copying long texts in a second or two! My current computer is the third one I have had, I bought it some five years ago and I´m very pleased with it.
I usually use my computer to look for information, to find and prepare material for my classes, to watch things on Youtube, to send e-mails, to find out what my friends are up to, and a long etcetera, and I think I’ve been using it on a daily basis for quite a few years.
I especially like my computer because every time I have a doubt I just google for it and generally find the answer. Consequently, it has helped me solve many problems, like what printer and photographic camera I should buy, how to improve my TV reception, where to find things I need to get, etc.
For all the things I’ve mentioned and many more, I guess my life without my computer would be a lot more complicated and a lot less fun.

POST 2: EXPECTATIONS FOR A NEW SEMESTER

Write about:

- the subjects you are doing this term
- extracurriculars you are taking
- other activities that you are part of at university
- what you expect from this new academic period

wordcount: 110 (minimum)

> Make comments on three of your classmates' posts

POST 1: MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Hello everybody and welcome to your first blog session.
Today you are expected to write your auto biography. Please follow the instructions carefully and have a look at my sample post to get inspired. You may upload a picture if you like. Can you spot me in this photo?


Make sure you include the following:

- Birth info
- Studies info (elementary/high school/ univ)
- Family info
- Hobbies
- Others...

Remember to write at least 120 words and make comments on three of your classmates posts.
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My life in a few words.

Who am I? Let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in Santiago, Chile, and grew up in Santiago, in the Patronato neighbourhood. After I finished my wonderful kindergarten days, I went to Rafael Sanhueza Lizardi School, where I became a book worm, and then to Arturo Alessandri Palma High School, where I made some very good friends and developed my liking of English. As a result of that, I studied to become a teacher of English at Universidad de Chile and after some further studies in London, I took my master degree in Education in 2007 at UMCE and received my degree from there last year. I´m the fifth oldest of a large family of seven children (and probably the gray sheep!. I have a lot of hobbies, for example, I like drawing and painting; listening to music, singing karaoke and playing the guitar; I love reading (and used to write embarrasingly lousy poems) and watching movies (especially dramas and good comedies); I enjoy having long conversations with my friends over a coffee or some delicious food; plus a long etcetera. But what I like the most is travelling, so I’ve already been to quite a few countries.