Alexandria ESL Classes

Tonight is the 81st Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards. The award that the winners receive is called an Oscar.  To check out this year’s nominees, go to http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn=nominees .

Here are my predictions for tonight:

Best Actor - Sean Penn in MILK
Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk, the camera store owner whose decision to campaign for a place on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors becomes a landmark event within the gay rights movement.

Best Actress - Kate Winslet in THE READER
Kate Winslet plays Hanna Schmitz, a German woman in her thirties whose teenage lover is unaware of the dark secret in her past.

Best Director - Ron Howard for FROST/NIXON - Following his 1974 resignation, Richard Nixon withdraws from public life until talk show host David Frost persuades him–with the help of a sizeable payment–to participate in a series of television interviews. For Frost, the much-anticipated event offers a chance to establish himself as a serious journalist, while the disgraced former president regards the interviews as an opportunity to reestablish himself on the political stage.

Best Picture - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - An eighteen-year-old from the slums of Mumbai finds himself competing on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” where the questions he must answer offer a look back at his earlier life. The show’s host, however, insists that he must be cheating and takes steps to force young Jamal to admit that a boy from such an impoverished background could not possibly possess the knowledge necessary to win the show’s top prize.

What are your predictions for tonight?

Last monday was Predident’s Day in the US, the day we celebrate the birthday of George Washington (February 21) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12). This is the day we honor all of the Presidents of the United States, the great, the adequate and the absolutely terrible leaders of this nation.  Do you have a day (or days) in your country that honors your political leaders?  Do you think this is a good idea?  How many US Presidents do you know about?  Do you have a favorite former President of the United States?

Just a reminder that next week is the last class before Spring Break.   Have a smooth week.  

In the coming weeks, the Minnesota House of Representatives, jointly with the Minnesota Senate, will be holding hearings across our state to hear from Minnesotans on Governor Pawlenty’s budget recommendations. The up to date schedule of Greater Minnesota hearings is below. 

Friday, February 20th

Alexandria

4:00PM  Alexandria City Hall

704 Broadway

I hope to see you there. Please let me know if you would like to attend.

I hope everyone survived the ice / rain yesterday.  There are a few events coming up this week.  First, on Friday Pitchers and Catchers report to Major League Baseball training camps in Arizona and Florida, which means that Spring is going to be here soon.  Second, Friday is Friday the 13th, considered to be a very unlucky by many people.  Please go to http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm to find out why. Do you consider this day to be unlucky or to bring bad luck?  Are there any  days or events from your country that are considered “bad luck”?

Finally, Saturday is St. Valentine’s Day, where we in the United States celebrate love and romance.  How is this day celebrated in your country?  Will you celebrate St. Valentine’s Day this year with someone special?

I hope everyone has a happy Valentine’s Day and I will see all of you in class.

Here are 2 good sites for a quick tour of US History from 1945 - 1989.  It is based on the song by Billy Joel stated in the title of this blog post.

 http://www.teacheroz.com/fire.htm

http://www.rareexception.com/billy-joel/billy-joel-we-didnt-start-the-fire/

What important events in your country happened between 1945 and 1989?

For more infoormation on the March 3rd event at the State Capitol , follow the link below

http://www.literacyminnesota.org/2009_Legislative_Forum.html

Please let me know if you would like to attend.

Here are the schedules for February classes.

Monday 1:00-3:00 pm

Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 2, 2009
All Star 4: P. 32-33
Idioms : cost an arm and a leg, fender-bender, rain or shine

Border States Map Activity

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Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 9, 2009
All Star 4: P. 130-131
Idioms : bad mouth, in over one’s head, pull someone’s leg
Noun Clauses Handout

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Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 16, 2009
No Class – President’s Day

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Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 23, 2009
All Star 4: P. 140-141
Idioms : not on your life, tell a white lie, you’ve got to be kidding
Sentence Structure Handout : P. 19 (Noun Clauses)
Or
Pay Stub Activities

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Wednesday 8:30 - 10:00 am

 Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 4, 2009
R.L.E. 2: P. 131, 134-135 Workbook P. 75, 77-79
Finish map activity
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Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 11, 2008
R.L.E. 2: P. 136 - 139 Workbook P. 79 - 80
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Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 18, 2008
Step Forward 2, P. 52 -55 Workbook P. 30 – 31
Activity Book p. 58 - 59
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Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 25, 2008
Step Forward 2, P. 56 -59 Workbook P. 32 – 35
Activity Book p. 60 - 61

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Thursday 5:30 - 8:30 pm

 Thurs, Feb. 5, 2009

5:30 – 6:30 Individual Time/Blog Response
6:30 – 8:30 Writing Activity : What makes a person a good leader.
Ventures 3, p. 39 - 41

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Thurs, Feb. 12, 2009

5:30 – 6:30 Individual Time/Blog Response
6:30 – 8:30 Writing Activity : My spouse
Ventures 3, p. 110 - 112

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Thurs, Feb 19, 2009

5:30 – 6:30 pm Individual Time/Blog Response
6:30 – 8:30 pm Writing Activity : My favorite entertainer
Ventures 3 , p. 113-115

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Thurs, Feb. 26, 2009

5:30 – 6:30 pm Individual Time/Blog Response
6:30 – 8:30 pm Writing Activity : When I was young …
Ventures 3 , p. 116 - 119

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I would like you to go to the following websites

http://www.westbendgrotto.com/ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlrMYQ6z-Yk

What do you thing of the Grotto of the Redemption?  Do you have anything like this in your home country?

Have a wonderful week.