Alexandria ESL Classes

Today is the Vernal Equinox - the first day of Spring.  For the next 3 months, we will have more hours of daylight than night.  Spring means the renewal of life and warmer temperatures.  It also means the return of  birds to Minnesota.  The one true sign that winter is over is the return of the Robin. Earlier today, I saw 8 Robins just 1/2 block from my house.  What is your favorite thing about Spring?

Thurs, March. 5, 2009

No Class – Spring Break

Thurs, March. 12, 2009
5:30 – 6:30 pm Individual Time/Blog Response
6:30 – 8:30 pm Speaker at Alex Tech - Rick Theissen

Thurs, March 19, 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

Thurs, March 26, 2009

5:30 – 6:30 pm Individual Time/Blog Response
6:30 – 8:30 pm Writing Activity : My Favorite Thing about Spring.
Ventures 3 , p. 120 - 121

Full name: Gaius Julius Caesar

Caesar is remembered as one of history’s greatest generals and a key ruler of the Roman empire. As a young man he rose through the administrative ranks of the Roman republic, accumulating power until he was elected consul in 59 B.C. Over the next 15 years he led Roman armies against enemies abroad, especially in Gaul, while fighting Pompey and others for political control at home. In 45 B.C. he reached his ultimate success, being named dictator of Rome for life. That rule was short-lived: the next year he was stabbed to death in the Senate by a group led by his follower Marcus Junius Brutus. Caesar’s life and death were dramatized in the William Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, with Caesar’s famous death line: “Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar!”

Caesar is thought to have been assassinated on March 15th, a date known in the Roman calendar as “the Ides of March”… The ruling titles Kaiser and Czar are derived from the name of Caesar… Caesar had a famous romance with Egyptian ruler Cleopatra, and he fathered her son Caesarion… One of Caesar’s trusted generals was Marc Antony, who became a lover and ally of Cleopatra after Caesar’s death… Caesar’s adopted heir was Octavian, who later defeated Antony and became the emperor Caesar Augustus.

Here are the schedules for Monday and Wednesday classes.

MONDAY 

Class Notes – ESL Class – March. 2, 2009
No Class – Spring Break

Class Notes – ESL Class – March 9, 2009
Guest Speaker – Kay Anderson
Affirmative Action community Resources
Idioms : bad mouth, in over one’s head, pull someone’s leg
Noun Clauses Handout

Class Notes – ESL Class – March16, 2009
All Star 4: P. 130-131
Idioms : not on your life, tell a white lie, you’ve got to be kidding
Sentence Structure Handout : P. 19 (Noun Clauses)

Class Notes – ESL Class – March 23, 2009
All Star 4: P. 132-133
Idioms : as easy as pie, a piece of cake, chow, yummy, yucky
Sentence Structure Handout : P. 20

Class Notes – ESL Class – March 30, 2009
All Star 4: P. 134-135
Idioms : Beats Me, Catch some Zs, Junk Mail
Sentence Structure Handout : P. 21

WEDNESDAY 

Class Notes – ESL Class – March 4, 2009
No Class – Spring Break

Class Notes – ESL Class – March 11, 2008
Step Forward 2, P. 55 -56 Workbook P. 32 – 33
Activity Book p. 60
————————————————————————————————————————–
Class Notes – ESL Class – Feb. 18, 2008
Step Forward 2, P. 57 -58 Workbook P. 34
Activity Book p. 61
————————————————————————————————————————–
Class Notes – ESL Class – March 25, 2008
Step Forward 2, P. 59-60 Workbook P. 35
Activity Book p. 62

————————————————————————————————————————–
Class Notes – ESL Class – April 1, 2008
Step Forward 2, P. 61-62 Workbook P. 36
Activity Book p. 63

Thursday class schedule will be posted later this week.

I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who attended the Legislative Forum with me yesterday, March 3, 2009.  All of you did an exceptional job communicating with the legislators.  You represented yourselves and your school with pride and honor.  It would be nice if you e-mailed all of the legislators who spoke with us yesterday and say thank you.  It would mean a great deal to them.  Here are their e-mail addresses:

Senator Bill G. Ingebrigtsen : sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn

Senator Tarryl L. Clark (follow this link to send her a thank you) : http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_emailform.php?mem_id=1071&ls=86

Representative Carlos Mariani : rep.carlos.mariani@house.mn

 Representative Mary Ellen Otremba : rep.maryellen.otremba@house.mn

Representative Marty Seifert : rep.marty.seifort@house.mn

Representative Torrey Westrom : rep.torrey.westrom@house.mn

If you would like to stay up to date on what is happening at the state capitol, use this link: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/

What was the most important part of the day for you?  What will you remember most?  How is this different than what you would experience in your home country?

Have a great week of vacation and I will see all of you on Monday.

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?