Conversation Hour (22/8)

Today in conversation hour, we played a game called "Truth Be Told" where students wrote down an answer to a prompt based on what they thoguht another student (the host) might answer. After going through the answers, students had to vote on which answer they though was correct. Finally, the host revealed the correct answer and students who had guessed this answer won a point.

Here are some exmaples:

When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a ...
-princess
-movie star
-singer
-teacher
-pilot
astronaut

The last present I bought for myself was...
a mobile phone
a bag
a teddy bear
lipstick
perfum
sandals
a dress
a dvd

I still smile when I think of ...
-getting into an exchange program to go to the USA
-my girlfriend
-girls
-the soap opera "Rubi"
-childhood fights
-home

I could never be a ...
-dancer
-prostitute
-man
-cook
-housewife

See you tomororw, folks!

Basic English 22/8 (For Language Arts Students)

IN, ON, AT

Prepositions of Place and Time

Prepositions of Place

First I drew the box on the left in the photo and asked students where the X's were. They were in the box, in the corner, at the corner, on the box and on the box (on the wall of the box).

Second, I drew a square to represent Araguaina and put a star in it to represent Beyonce. I asked the students, "Where is Beyonce?" They responded Beyonce is in Araguaina. Then I labeled the street that Beyonce was on and asked them again, "Where is Beyonce." This time they said Beyonce is on Rua Souza Porto. When I added a house number they use the preposition at when answering where Beyonce was. I displayed that in this process they moved from general to specific and through the prepositions in, on and at.

I then had the student provide some examples for me using prepositions of place.

Prepositions of Time

I wrote the year 1990 and asked students when I was born. Each time after they responded I added another detail about when I was born and asked them again when I was born. As the answers become more specific we moved from using in, to on to at. Then the students provided some of their own examples.

Class Activity:

In pairs students wrote the correct preposition/s and then we went over the answers as a class.

Handout:

Blog Homework:

Use this photo as an example. Create an invitation to a party (an imaginary party) in the comments section of this blog. Include the name of the party, the location where it will be taking place, and the time and date. Then write a sentence describing all the details of the party using in, on and at correctly.

Thanks for a great class everyone! See you soon!

American Culture Class (21/8)

Hello culture enthusiasts!

Today we looked at some characters from American folklore. But first, what is folklore? And why is it important?

Folklore consists of the legends, music, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs and oral history of a culture or group, and the ways in which these are passed down from one generation to another. Folklore is unofficial, or non-institutional in that it is transmitted between people not institutions (like governments, schools, or churches). Folklore is important because it is part of the history of a culture and can help us better understand other cultures, but folklore also transcends boundaries by 'saying something appealing about the basic human condition' (Tim Schafer).

Students were divided into groups and assigned one of four characters from American folklore: Pocahontas, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill, and Betsy Ross. Each group made a skit to present their character and his/her story to the class.

 Pocahontas group

 Betsy Ross group

Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed groups

Finally, we had a short birthday celebration for Marcos where we learned the lyrics to a silly birthday song that goes like this:

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you
You look like a monkey, and you smell like one too! 


Discussion prompt:
Pick a character from Brazilian folklore, and explain their story. What do you think this character/story shows us about Brazilian culture? What does it say about the 'human condition' (a condição humana) in general? That is, how do you think this story crosses cultural or national boundaries, if at all?

Conversation Hour 20/8

Today we played the game "Would you Rather..."

Students picked a variety of sentences out of a bag that said things like:

• Would you rather have no one show up to your wedding or your funeral?
• Would you rather have a personal hairstylist of a personal chauffeur?
• Would you rather have your mind act as an MP3 player so you can listen to music anytime or be able to watch your dreams on TV?
• Would you rather have accordions for legs or have a huge bellybutton 10 inches long that swayed to the beat of popular music?
• Would you rather always be under dressed or overdressed?
• Would you rather be "a one hit wonder" or an average singer for as long as you want?
• Would you rather be half your height or double your weight?
• Would you rather be famous or be the best friend of somebody famous?
• Would you rather be a pirate or a ninja?
• Would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors or go into the future and meet your great, great, great-grandchildren?
• Would you rather have legs as long as your fingers or fingers as long as your legs?
• Would you rather be fluent in every language or a master of ever musical instrument?
• Would you rather have mermaids be real, or unicorns be real?
• Get a dream vacation for a month or 1 week with any person of your choosing in your home town?
• Have hiccups for the rest of your life or feel like you have to sneeze but not be able to for the rest of your life?

Students chose someone to answer the question that they picked out of the bag. The student who answered chose the next question and which student would respond.

New Vocabulary

Please comment with your own "Would you rather..." questions! And feel free to answer each other too! :)

Basic English 20/8 (For Science and Tourism Students)

Simple Present

First I presented when it is that we use the simple present and gave some examples. I invited students to give me a couple of examples too.

When presenting number 1, I had students help me compile a list of words that we use to talk about repeated actions or our routines.

Afterwards we looked at how to form questions:

1. When we are forming a question that uses the verb TO BE, we conjugate the verb and put it before the object in the sentence. For example, "Are you hungry?" (are comes first). We reviewed how to conjugate the verb "To be"

2. When forming a question with any other verb, the word Do or Does comes before the object. We reviewed when to use Do vs. Does.

Pictured here is our review of how to conjugate the verb to be, when to use do vs. does and when to use don't vs. doesn't.

Students spend the end of class practicing the simple present by making a list of 3 facts about themselves, and writing down their daily routine. Some vocabulary words they used included:

Thanks for a great class everyone! 

Please comment here with your name, your three facts and your daily routine.

See you next week!

Bible Study 19/8

Broken Praise (Job)

The song for this week was about Job from the album Music Inspired by the Story. Here is a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5cKV8G3WMg

At the beginning of class, students formed sentences in English to describe what they already knew about Job. Students added to the list after reading the text about him.

The passage that students read in class:

Job 1

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

⁴ His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

⁶ One day the angels^[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[b] also came with them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has,and he will surely curse you to your face.”

¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.^[c]
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job 2:9-10

⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

¹⁰ He replied, “You are talking like a foolish^[a] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Job 42:12-17

¹² The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. ¹³ And he also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵ Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

¹⁶ After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. ¹⁷ And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

The worksheet students filled in while listening to the song:

Broken Praise (Job) Lyrics                                                   By Todd Smith

If one more person takes my _________
And tries ______they understand
Tells me there’s a ______ plan
That I’m not meant to see
If one more person dares suggest
That I held something unconfessed
Tries to make the dots connect
From righteousness to easy street

Well I, I won’t deny
I’ve relied on ________ assumptions
A man’s honest life entitles him to something

But who am I
To make demands
Of the God of Abraham?
And who are _______that You would choose
To answer me with mercy new
How many more will wander past
________ me here among the ashes
Will you hold me? Will you stay?
So I can raise this _________ praise to You

Who else will   _______ my suffering
As one _______ opportunity
To educate; to __________ me see
All my flawed theology
If one more well intentioned friend
Tries to tie up my loose ends
Hoping to, with rug and broom
Sweep awkward moments from the room
But I, I ________ forget
I have begged just like a madman
For my chance to die and never have to face the morning

But who am I
To make demands
Of the God of Abraham?
And who are ________ that You would choose
To answer me with mercy new
How many more will wander past
_________ me sitting in this ash
Will you hold me? Will you stay?
So I can raise this ________  praise to You

But ______ were the One who filled my cup
And _______ were the One who let it spill
So blessed be your Holy ______ if you never fill it up again
If this is where my ________ ends, just give me one more breath to say
____________, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, ____________
Hallelujah, ____________

The vocabulary lists from the Bible passages and song:

Vocabulary from the Passage

To shun: afastar-se

Oxen: bois

To feast/a feast: festejar/banquete

A hedge: um tipo de arbusto que simboliza 

proteção

Flocks and herds: rebanhos e manadas

Do not lay a finger: não toque

To plow: arar

To graze: pastar

To make off with __: sair com (robar) ____

Put to the sword: matar com espada

A raiding party: um grupo de ataque

Womb: ventre

To charge: cobrar

The latter: o segundo

The former: o anterior

Vocabulary from the Song

“To connect the dots”: descobrir a história completa atraves de “ligar os pontos”

Assumption:  suposição

To be entitled to ______:  ter o direito de ______

To make demands: fazer exigências

To wander: vaguear

Ashes: cinzas

To raise: levantar

Flawed: imperfeito (com erros)

Well intentioned friend: amigo com intenções boas

“To tie up my loose ends”: colocar tudo em órdem; terminar alguma coisa

Rug and broom: tapete e vassoura

Awkward: incómodo

To beg: suplicar, pedir

To fill: encher

To spill: derramar

Conversation Hour 8/8

Find Someone Who
(Favorites Edition)

For this class students used this worksheet and were talking for the entire hour!

Find Someone Who…

Has a favorite band or singer ______________	Has a favorite book ______________	Has a favorite movie ______________	Has a favorite candy ______________	Has a favorite food ______________
Has a favorite ice cream flavor ______________	Has a favorite animal ______________	Has a favorite bar ______________	Has a favorite church. ______________	Has a favorite place. ______________
Has a favorite season ______________	Has a favorite day of the week. ______________	Has a favorite Holiday ______________	Has a favorite game ______________	Has a favorite letter of the alphabet. ______________
Has a favorite fruit. ______________	Has a favorite vegetable. ______________	Has a favorite video game. ______________	Has a favorite social network website. ______________	Has a favorite TV show. ______________
Has a favorite sport. ______________	Has a favorite type of music. ______________	Has a favorite dance move. ______________	Has a favorite possession. ______________	Has a favorite footwear. ______________
Has a favorite hobby. ______________	Has a favorite season. ______________	Has a favorite household cleaning product. ______________	Has a favorite chore. ______________	Has a favorite subject in school. ______________

They simply asked each other questions like:
Do you have a favorite movie?
Do you have a favorite place?
Do you have a favorite candy?

If the answer was yes, they shared what their favorite was and learned something new about their classmates.