First, type the first paragraph of your “Which Is The Better Neighborhood?” essay in a Word document.
Then, after you’re done, please copy and paste it in the comments section of this post.
Which Is The Better Neighborhood?
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Author Archives: larryferlazzo
Try This Writing Activity
Please go to Proofreading: Spelling and Writing.
Pick your level of difficulty, and correct the paragraphs. See how well you can do!
Neighborhood Research
Please go to these sites to find information for your neighborhood research sheet:
You can also look at apartments for rent in the area at:
Create Your Own Newspaper
Think about the kinds of things you are most interested in — Hmong life, soccer, novella’s, cars, etc.
Then go to Newscred. You will create your own online newspaper that only has articles on the things you’re interested in.
Mr. Ferlazzo and Ms. Hull will show you on the projector how to set-up you paper. Once you’ve created it, please write the topic of your paper in the comments section of this post and copy and paste its url address. You and other students will be able to read it at home or when we come to the computer lab.
Learning About Cigarettes
Please find new items for each of these three categories:
Health Effects of Smoking
Costs Of Smoking
Quitting Smoking
You can find them here:
Smoking Kills and Smoking May Be Banned In Cars are two articles with audio support and follow-up activities from the excellent California Distance Learning Project. They are specifically designed for English Language Learners.
ELLO has a listening “game” related to a person who stopped smoking. This activity, too, is for ELL’s.
How To Stop Smoking is a “talking news story” for ELL’s from Many Things.
Stop Smoking is quiz that’s also from Many Things.
Smoking: The Facts is an interactive tutorial from Medline Plus.
You Make Me Sick is a game from the BBC on smoking. They also have an interactive quiz.
Bonko’s Body Quiz is a smoking interactive from PBS Kids.
Here’s another listening exercise — this time on smoking statistics.
Quitting Smoking is a closed-captioned video from the National Institute Of Heath.
Breaking News English has a lesson on smoking that includes audio support for the text.
1-Language has a report on smoking that provides audio support for the text.
Here are some online videos from The Truth that are designed to encourage young people not to smoke.
Aspire is another site designed to encourage teenagers not to smoke. Its videos are closed-captioned.
An interactive on How Tobacco Damages Your Body from Northwest Community Hospital (accessible to Intermediate ELL’s).
An animation from The Centers For Disease Control on The Health Consequences of Smoking on the Human Body (accessible to high Intermediate ELL’s).
TIME Magazine has just published an infographic titled Leading Cause of Death. It’s a pretty amazing piece of work chocked full with data about smoking cigarettes.
How Would You Feel If You Were Forced To Return To Your Native Country?
Last week, 4,000 Hmong refugees were forced by the Thailand military to return to Laos.
Read more about what happened at these links:
Thailand Evicts Hmong Refugees is the title of a slideshow from The Wall Street Journal.
Reuters has an online video clip on the eviction.
After forced evacuation, local Hmong fear for their families in Laos is an article that appeared in the Sacramento Bee.
Thailand deports thousands of Hmong to Laos comes from the BBC and also has links to a number of other related-resources.
Thailand Sends 4,000 Hmong Back to Laos is from TIME Magazine and also includes additional links.
The Hmong expulsion shares several photos from the Bangkok Post.
Thailand Evicts 4,000 Hmong to Laos is from The New York Times.
Thai army deports Hmong refugees is from Al Jazeera, and also includes a link to an excellent video series that network did on the Hmong.
Thai move to kick out asylum-seekers angers West is from Reuters and also includes several photos of the eviction.
Thailand Urged to Halt Expulsion of Laotian Hmong Population is an article on the America.gov site (run by the U.S. State Department)
Thailand Moves To Send Hmong Back To Laos is on the National Public Radio site.
Then, in the comments section, please answer this question:
How would you feel if you were forced to leave the United States and return to your native country, especially if you felt like your native country’s government was going to punish you for leaving? Why would you feel that way?
Send A Christmas Card!
Create a holiday card for a friend (or teacher!). Create a card using one of these sites. Email it to yourself, and then copy and paste the link in the comments section of this blog. Be sure to write in the comment who the card is for!
Create A Posterous Blog
Go to your email and send an email message to post@posterous.com.
Write “This is my first blog post.”
You will immediately receive an email back from Posterous with a link to your new blog. Make sure you use a password that is easy to remember.
After you get the link to your new blog, please copy and paste its address in the comments section of this post.
Gangs
Please go to this site and look through the links to learn more about gangs and why people join them:
Learn More About Advertising
Visit these sites and write down three things you learn about how advertisers persuade you to buy their products. Write down your notes on a piece of paper. If there is time, you can then write them in the comments section:
See How You Get Hooked Into Buying Now!
CoCo Adversmarts (this one lets you create your own advertisement. After you make it, please print it out)
Play A Game In A Private Room
Today, all students will play against each other in a game called:
Go to the game, click on “English,” and then sign-up. Write your initials, and write “mrferlazzo” in the box that asks for “League Name.”
Do not click “submit” until Mr. Ferlazzo or Ms. Hull yells “Go!”
You will be asked a question. After every answer you will see a scoreboard showing who is winning.
Sometime in the future will will also play a similar game called:
Learn About Persuasive Essays
Review these sites to help you learn about writing a persuasive essay. Please write three things you’ve learned in the comments section.
Here’s a Fact and Opinion game.
Try another Fact and Opinion Game.
Here are lots of fact and opinion activities.
PBS’ Arthur has a simple Facts and Opinions game.
Argument is an activity from the BBC. Other activities connected to it are:
The BBC has another activity called Argue, Persuade, and Advise. Revise is a connected exercise.
Earthlings, Unite! is an interactive sample persuasive essay.
The Joystick of Learning is another interactive sample essay.
Hungry Students Can’t Study is one more sample essay, though it’s not interactive.
Here’s an accessible tutorial on writing a persuasive essay .
Students can quickly and easily create a “map” of their persuasive essay here and post its url on a student or teacher website.
Try this persuasive essay outline generator .
Persuasion Map is from Read Write Think, but it can only be printed-out, not saved.
Create A “Hangman” Game
Write a sentence at Flash Hangman Challenge and then email it to yourself. It will turn into a “Hangman” game.
Copy and paste the link in the comments section so others can play the game.
Learning About Careers
Use the following links to learn about the possible careers that you and your parents have said might be in your future.
Answer four questions for each career. You only have to write an a sentence or two in response to each question. Share the answers in the comments section. When you do, first list the career and then the answers underneath.
1) What kind of education is required to get this job?
2) What do you do in this job?
3) What is the salary range for the job?
4) Why are you interested in this job?
You can research using these sites. Some of them also include questions you can answer to help you find other careers that might be good for you:
Turn Your Essay Into A Slideshow
Go to Bookr and make a slideshow out of the first paragraph of your Problem/Solution Essay.
Email the link to yourself, and then copy and paste it in the comments section of this post.
Finding Answers To Your College Questions
Explore these sites to find answers to your questions about college. Write your answers next to the questions on your question sheet. If you need more space, write on the back.
California Community Colleges Online Application Center
Landlord Letters
Please type your Landlord Letter using WORD. Name the file “landlord letter.”
After you are done, save it. Then go to File2.ws.
Next, upload your landlord letter to the Internet. Then, copy the url address and paste it in the comments section of this post. Remember to only use your first name in your landlord letter and in the comments.
“A Bark In The Dark”
Go to “A Bark In The Dark.”
Use the instructions your teacher gave your group to try and win the game.
Good luck!
Writing Exercises And Games
Try these writing activities and games. If the first ones are too easy, try the next one. Each one gets a little harder.
Five minutes before class ends, please leave a comment saying which activity you liked the best and why:
“I liked ______________ the best because ________________________.”
Bitesize 3 Writing — Here, do everything that is labeled “Activity.” Be sure to turn-on the subtitles so you can read what is being spoken.
What Are Your Favorite Learning Games?
Later this year you will be creating your own learning games that other students can play.
Today, please play the games on this list. Vote for the three games you think are the best. In the comments section, please write which three you voted for and why you voted for them:
I voted for ______________ because ___________________________.
I voted for ______________ because ___________________________.
I voted for ______________ because ___________________________.
Write A Short Story With Images
Today you are going to write a short story with images.
You can use either one of these sites:
Tell A Story, where you’ll pick a painting to use in your story, type it, and also record it.
Five Card Flickr Story, where you’ll pick five photos and then tell a story about them.
Please copy and paste the link to your story in the comments section of this post.
Problem/Solution Essays
Look at these Problem/Solution essays. After reading them, please write in the comments two things you learned about writing from them:
Add Lines To A Movie
Pick one of the short movies at Bombay TV.
You can choose to either record what you want the actors to say, or write them as “subtitles.”
Here’s an example:
Once you email it to yourself, the site will show you the link address to copy and paste in the comments section of this post.
If you want, you may work with a partner to create the movie.
Record A Talking Monkey
Today, you can make a Talking Monkey. You will record your own voice and email it to yourself. Then you will copy and paste the link in the comments section of this post.
In your message, say:
1) Your first name (do not say your last name)
2) Your favorite movie and why it’s your favorite movie.
3. Your favorite book and why it’s your favorite book.
Here is an example:
My name is Mr. Ferlazzo. My favorite movie is called Casablanca, and I like it because the acting is great and the good guys win. My favorite book is Bread and Wine. I think it’s my favorite because it was my father’s favorite.
Make A Comic Strip
Got to the Bubblr site and make a comic strip of at least six frames showing a problem and a solution.