Sunday, April 12, 2015

Summer

In the summer, I like to do a lot of things

Birth daze!

Example of a birthday cake with candles
Jewish tradition of chair lifting on birthdays.
Birthdays are celebrated in different ways all around the world.  Some of the most interesting traditions I have heard are lifting the birthday person in a chair, spraying the person with flour and lifting the birthday child is upside down and bumping them to the floor for good luck. In Vietnam, everyone’s birthday is celebrated on New Year’s Day.  Not only is the beginning of a new year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born.
In America, birthdays are usually celebrated by singing the birthday song, eating cake and ice cream and usually having a birthday party or some special event. It is also customary for friends and family to give gifts to the person celebrating the birthday. Some children may also like to give birthday taps or punches to birthday person.

Skydiving
Skydiving on my birthday

My birthday is coming up in a few days and I am a bit undecided about how I should celebrate it. I usually like to mark my birthday milestone by completing one item from my bucket list. So far I have gone skydiving, gotten a tattoo, seen a Broadway play, become a vegetarian, amongst many other things. My father thinks that I have gotten too old for extravagant birthday celebrations and need to just relax on my birthday. But I doubt I will listen to him. This year I am contemplating going on a helicopter ride through New York City. I am a bit of a thrill seeker and I would also like to finally purchase my own motorcycle this year.

 Vocabulary

  1. acknowledge- (verb)-to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of (something)
  2. skydiving-(noun)-the sport of jumping from an airplane and falling through the sky before opening a parachute.
  3. extravagant-(adjective)-very fancy
  4. thrill seeker ( noun)-a person who enjoys taking part in extreme sports and other activities involving physical risk
  5. motorcycle (noun)-a motor vehicle resembling a bicycle but larger and heavier; engine powered.
  6. tattoo-(noun)- A design made on the skin with a temporary dye such as henna or ink.
Vocabulary Exercise
In one paragraph, explain how birthdays are celebrated where you are from. Also include your favorite birthday memory.
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Grammatical Point
 A bucket list a  list of things that you would like to complete before you die. It is usually a list of special achievements or aspirations that you hope to accomplish in your lifetime. Some people like to learn a foreign language, skydive, or visit exotic countries. It is taken from the English idiom "kick the bucket". meaning to die or pass away. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes idioms as " an expression that cannot be understood from the meaning of it separate words, but has a meaning of its own." Can you name any idioms form where you are from? What do they mean?

Thursday, April 9, 2015

The Chase

A man walks into a bar and sees a familiar outline through the
 smoky haze. He moves silently towards the other side of the room and sits down at a table in the shadows near the back door. He doesn't look in her direction but feels her presence. He orders a high ball and spends some time studying the ice cubes as they begin to melt. When he finally looks across the room, he cannot find that splendid form, that tender silhouette he knows as well as his own. He finishes his drink and meanders towards the door, hoping he will see her, praying he won't see her. Suddenly, the door in front of him opens and he sees the same silhouette exit the parking lot in a lemon colored Corvette that traveled at the speed of light. The man hopped into his 2013 black Mustang and fled as if he had stolen something. The corvette dashed in and out of lanes, slowing down after seeing the lingering red light in the distance.
The two merged onto the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) towards Downtown Brooklyn. The two vehicles skated down the parkway towards Flatbush Avenue, exiting and moving faster than the changing lights in front of the Barclays Center. The man contemplated stopping at Sugarcane, his favorite Caribbean restaurant, but he had to catch up to the Corvette.  The two raced past  Prospect Park, Eastern Parkway,  and Erasmus Hall High School. The corvette finally hung left at Flatlands Avenue and parked in front of a home in Canarsie. As the Corvette parallel parked, smoke was released from the tires. The man got out of the mustang and shouted, "Mom what did I tell you about speeding through the city? You're ninety-two years old! You could have gotten hurt". The spunky old woman replied, " Oh hush up, Freddy!  I had to get back home to watch Scandal! We were out of wine again and you know I need my wine to enjoy Olivia Pope!" The man just shook his head and smiled in relief as the two walked in the house.
Vocabulary 

  1. splendid- (adjective)-very impressive and beautiful
  2. silhouette-(noun)-a dark shape in front of a light background
  3. meanders-(verb)-to walk slowly without a specific goal, purpose, or direction
  4. BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway)- (noun)Interstate 278 is an Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States.
  5. Flatbush Avenue-(noun)-is one of the major avenues in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn. It runs from the Manhattan Bridge south-southeastward to Jamaica Bay
  6. Barclays Center-(noun)- a multi-purpose indoor arena in Brooklyn, New York City.
  7. Prospect Park-(noun)-public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Ditmas Park, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  8. Erasmus Hall High School-(noun)- a four-year public high school located at 899-925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
  9. Canarsie-(noun)-neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City.

Grammar Point
Nouns name people, places, and things. Every noun can further be classified as common or proper. A proper noun has two features: It will name a specific [usually a one-of-a-kind] item, and it will begin with a capital letter no matter where it occurs in a sentence.The passage above contains many proper nouns. Proper nouns can include the names of cities, specific streets, places and people.

Common NounProper Noun
writer
teacher
beagle
cookie
city
restaurant
document
school
Herman Melville
Mrs. Hacket
Snoopy
Oreo
Orlando
Tito's Taco Palace
Declaration of Independence
University of Southern California
Vocabulary Exercise

Write a short story including names of five proper nouns.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Viva Las Vegas!


This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to  the West Coast of the United States to Las Vegas, Nevada.The weather was beautiful in Las Vegas. The name Las Vegas translates to "The Meadows" in English because of is fertile land.The skies were clear and sunny and there didn't seem to be any humidity. This time of year the temperature ranged from about 75 to 85 degrees. I was told I came at the perfect time because during the summer months, this desert area could reach the triple digits, making all outside activities completely unbearable. I traveled with a few of my friends who are  teachers are as well, so we enjoyed sharing our  teaching experiences and being away from the school environment during our break. While there I visited  The Grand Canyon, The Hoover Dam, a Motown show and various restaurants along the Las Vegas Boulevard strip. Everything was in walking distance so there was no need to rent a car.
 My favorite part of the trip was venturing out to The Grand Canyon. Since my friends were a little afraid to leave the state, I accepted the challenge of going alone. I traveled on a charter bus with other tourists for the nearly five hour trip. I never imagined how huge the Grand Canyon is. The Grand Canyon measures 277 miles long and 18 miles wide.  Aside from being a national park, there are restaurants, a hotel, mule rides, white water rafting and helicopter tours available.
While on our way to the Grand Canyon, we made a stop at the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam is a concrete dam located on the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed during the Great Depression in 1931 and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over 100 lives. The dam was named after the United States' 31st President, Herbert Hoover.

Although I didn't gamble in the casinos like most do when they come to Las Vegas,   I thoroughly enjoyed the trip! I hope this won’t be last time I come! 

Vocabulary

  1. helicopter-(noun)-an aircraft that can stay in the air without moving forward and that has metal blades that turn around on its top.
  2. The Hoover Dam- (noun)-  is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada
  3. Motown-(noun)-s an American record company. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. it is known fora style of soul music with a distinct pop influence.  
  4. West Coast- (noun)-is the term for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, Nevada and Washington. 
  5. casinos-(noun)-a building or room that has games (such as roulette or blackjack) for gambling.
  6. fertile-(adjective) capable of growing or developing.
  7. canyon-(noun)-a deep valley with steep rock sides and often a steam or river flowing through it. 
  8. dam-(noun)-a structure that is built across a river or stream to stop water from flowing.
  9. The Grand Canyon-(noun)  a huge steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona in the United States. 
Vocabulary Exercise

 Unscramble each of the words below. The first one has been done for you.

1.twse socta West Coast
2.ritlfee
3.nycona
4.dma
5.montwo
6.pircoehtle
7.saoincs
8.eht gdran nanocy
9.eht revooh amd










   

Grammar Point
When speaking about something that has occurred in the past, we use verbs in their past tense form. The above passage has been written in the simple past tense form. English uses verbs in the simple past tense to refer to actions, situations, or events that are finished and that happened before now. Regular verbs make their past tense by adding - d, - ed, or (if the verb ends in a consonant + y), changing the y to an i and then adding - ed. Irregular verb follow different rules when put in their past tense.

LIONS!

 As far back as I can remember, I have had an affinity for lions. Something about their strong and confident nature has always seemed to draw me in. I love their beautiful mane and piercing eyes. Below is a description of one of my favorite lions.


The Masai lion or East African lion, is species of lions found in eastern Africa. It is often described as being from "Nubia". The subspecies  massaica, which was initially described from the Tanganika Territory in Eastern Africa. The male lion is easily recognized by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture.

The lion  is one of the five big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 550 lb in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa  and in Asia while other types of lions have disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia. About, 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after human beings. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline in its African range of 30–50% per two decades during the second half of the 20th century. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered.
Lions live for 10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity.


Image result for masai lion
Image result for masai lionImage result for masai lion


The above passage is a description of a lion. It is not mainly about actions, nor is it about thoughts or feelings. Rather it is about what things are, what the are like, and what they possess. The name for the process type in the passage is relational process. It contain verbs of being and having.

Vocabulary

  1. affinity-( noun)- : a liking for or an attraction to something.
  2. subspecies-(noun)- a group of related plants or animals that is smaller than a species
  3. mane (noun)-long, thick hair growing from the neck of a horse or around the neck of a lion
  4. sub-Saharan-(adjective)-of, relating to, or being the part of Africa south of the Sahara
  5. widespread-(adjective)- common over a wide area or among many people
  6. vulnerable-(adjective)- open to attack, harm, or damage
  7. untenable-(adjective)- not capable of being defended against attack or criticism
  8. endangered-(adjective)-used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely.
  9. captivity-(noun)-the state of being kept in a place (such as a prison or a cage) and not being able to leave or be free
  10. longevity-(noun)- the length of time that something or someone lasts or continues;length of life.

 Click on the link to see a PowerPoint Presentation  on verbs of being and having.
                                                             Verbs of Having and Being


Welcome to my ENL (English as a New Language) Blog!

Hello! Thank you for visiting my ENL (English as a New Language) blog!


 My name is Christina and I am a graduate student  at Molloy College in NY. I am currently pursuing a second masters degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages. In short, I am studying to become a teacher to students that are learning English as a new language. After completing my first masters degree, I was not successful in finding the job I desired. So, I decided to return to school and pursue a different area of teaching. I never thought I would be back in school again. After I finished my undergraduate studies, my old roommate and I made a pact never to return to the classroom unless we were teaching a class. Since that pact, we have both returned to school twice. I am definitely eating my words now!



 In addition to being a student, I am also a permanent substitute teacher at a nearby elementary school. At this school, I also provide tutoring and work at the after school program. Teaching has it ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I love what I do. I also work in same district I grew up in so I feel like I am giving back to a community that helped shape me to  become the woman I am today. I enjoy working with my former teachers and teaching the children of my childhood friends. I hope to retire in this district one day.

Lastly, I am new to blogging and  not very savvy with technology. I am hoping  this blog will help me advance my technological skills as well as provide help to those studying English as a new language.

 I look forward to getting to know you. Please don't be afraid to comment!


Vocabulary
  1. savvy- (noun) to be savvy is to have an understanding.
  2. pact- (noun) an agreement
  3. blog-(noun) a web journal. (web + log= blog); blogging ( verb)- to write in a blog.
  4. permanent - (adj) long lasting
  5. undergraduate- (noun) a student in a university or college who has not received a first, especially a bachelor's, degree. 
  6. masters degree- (noun)  type of graduate degree, degree earned after completion of an bachelors degree
  7. In short (phrase)- to sum up briefly
  8. At the end of the day (idiom) After considering everything.
  9. Ups and downs- (idiom) the mixture of good and bad things
  10. Eating my words- (idiom) to take back what you said before
Vocabulary Exercise
Fill in each of the blanks with a vocabulary word or phrase.
  1. The girl told her mother she liked to eat Froot Loops, Honey Bunches of Oats and Rice Krispies for breakfast. _______________ she likes cereal.
  2. After writing papers, researching topics and sending emails to his professor, Michael realized he had become very computer __________ while attending college.
  3. Although John had tried to get used to arresting people and riding in a undercover car,  ________________John couldn't stand being a police officer.
  4. After three washes, Amy finally realized her daughter had written on her pants in ___________  marker.
  5. Sports has its___________________, but most enjoy being athletic.
  6.  The hairstylist goes on her computer everyday to write her _________ about new hairstyles.
  7. The father was___________________ when he saw his son's report card and gave him permission to end punishment go out with his friends.
  8. Every career has its ____________________. But you must enjoy what you do to spend your life doing it.
  9. After getting a bachelors degree in English, the student decided to pursue a _________________ in Education. 
  10. After completing counseling, the couple made a ___________ never to lie to each other again.
Grammatical Point
 A blend is a word formed from parts of two or more words. In this sense, blending is a process of creating new words. Here are some examples:
  • smog= smoke + fog
  • emoticon= emote + icon
  • camcorder = camera + recorder
  • spork = spoon + fork
Can you find the blend in the reading?



Sunday, March 22, 2015

My "Welcome Back for the First Time Trip"




                                                    My “Welcome Back for the First Time Trip”   

School children in Kumasi, Ghana.
The weather was hot and humid. My body was filled with an eerie mix of anticipation and nervousness. As the line grew nearer, I immediately grabbed my bags and ran hurriedly toward the exit sign of the airplane. Although I had never physically been here before, I felt a strange sense of deja vous. As I came down the stairs of the plane, a woman dressed in traditional African print smiled at me and said with a heavy Ghanaian accent “Welcome home, my sister!”  No other words could have been more touching at that moment. Before I realized what I was doing, my lips repeatedly touched the hot pavement, and I was thanking God for the opportunity to be here. My classmates shared my sentiments. I was 22 years old and a senior at Stony Brook University finally living one of my dreams of voyaging to Africa, the motherland! For me this was more than just a Study Abroad experience; this was the experience of a lifetime! I was certain this was going to be the best experience of my life!
My church sisters in Ghana. Can you find me?
“Make sure you take all of your pills. Don’t drink the water. Stay with the group at all times. Don’t come back married. Be careful with that brand new digital camera!” The voice of my father rang in my head like an alarm clock. The night before I embarked on this journey, I appeased all of my family’s concerns, but I knew once I reached, I would be free to do my own thing! I imagined tasting traditional foods, learning the language, visiting Cape Coast Castle and possibly falling in love with an African prince! My dreams were finally being realized and was going to relish every moment of it!
In Ghana, it is customary to carry things on your head.

Ghanaian cedis. This currency was phased out in 2007
My friends at home would never believe the things I would see here. Would we visit a safari? Would I see giraffes and monkeys? Maybe even lions, tigers and bears- Oh my! Would I finally learn to sew? Patterns of green, gold and brown danced in my head to the beat of an African drum.  Would I see where people were sold into slavery? Could I see some distant relatives? Would I cry or keep my composure? These and many other thoughts occupied my mind as Jaquaia, and I travelled through customs with passport, visa and yellow fever stamp in hand. After we claimed our bags, changed our dollars to cedis ( the currency in Ghana), we sat in the front of the airport making silly songs and rhymes.  I looked out at the lush terrain and envisioned a life here. At last, Africa was mine!

Pounding the cassava for the fufu!


Vocabulary


  1. eerie- (adjective) - strange and mysterious.
  2. anticipation- (noun)- the act of looking forward in excitement.
  3. deja vous- (noun)- French for "already seen); the feeling that you have already experienced something that is actually happening for the first time.
  4. Ghanaian- (adjective) Of or relating to the African country of Ghana.
  5. sentiments- (noun) an attitude, thought, or judgment prompted by feeling.
  6. embarked - (verb)  to begin a journey especially on a ship or airplane.
  7. appeased -(verb) to make (someone) pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired.
  8. hurriedly (adverb)- done very quickly
  9. safari- (noun) a journey to see or hunt animals especially in Africa
  10. envisioned- (verb) to think of something that you believe might exist or happen in the future : to picture (something) in your mind.


My Welcome back for the First Time Trip
Use the vocabulary words to complete the crossword below
1





2






3








4

5



6









7


















8



9















10








eerie sentiments anticipation safari deja vous appeased embarked Ghanaian envisioned hurriedly
  • Down
  • 2. To imagine.
  • 4. A journey for hunting or viewing animals.
  • 5. Feelings.
  • 9. To try to please someone.
  • Across
  • 1. Quickly.
  • 3. Relating to the country of Ghana.
  • 6. A strange feeling.
  • 7. Excitement.
  • 8. A feeling that you have seen something before even though t is the first time.
  • 10. To begin a journey.
Grammar Point
I have used a number of quotation marks around a few sets of words in the passage. We use quotation marks when we quote, or  write the exact words of another speaker or writer. Quotation marks begin and end a quotation. Can you count how many times I have quoted in the passage?