PRACTICE SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT IN THE PRESENT TENSE

Click the links below to practice verbs in the simple present tense:

LINK: Subject-verb agreement

LINK: Simple present, 3rd person singular practice

LINK: More simple present tense exercises

Reading Skill Practice: Summarizing and Finding the Main Idea

Finding the main idea in what you read takes practice. You have to learn to tell the difference between main idea statements and detail statements. You often have to recognize a summary (a brief statement of what the reading is mainly about) or a paraphrase (a statement that says the same thing, but with different words). You also have to learn to group details into categories by identifying what they have in common. Seeing what statements have in common helps you to identify the main idea of what you are reading, or to summarize it with different words..

My suggestion: Click on the link below to learn how to summarize and how to tell the difference between the main idea and the details that support the main idea.

LINK: Finding the Main Idea and Summarizing

Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Announcements and Assignments

Wednesday, 5/13/20

Announcements

1) Below is some information Ann O'Leary sent to the teachers, about testing and registration for fall classes. Please read it carefully:

Registration and Testing for Fall Classes

IF we can be at school

Outreach Center

301 Avenue of the Cities, East Moline, IL

309-796-8245

You must register and test to attend fall classes. We hope to be at school for registration and for classes. IF we cannot be at school, we will let you know what you can do.

Only 10-15 people will register at a time. We will practice social distancing when possible. Plan to wait or come back. You must wear a face mask.  No children under 18 allowed.

 

If we are full, we will ask you to wait or come back another day.

More registration dates will be added.

Registration will be at 9:00, 2:00, and 5:30. Please be on time.

July 6, 8, 13, 15

August 3, 5

If there is room in your class, you will start on Monday, August 17. If the class is full, I will call you when you can begin class.

2) Our last online class is Friday, 5/15/20. I appreciate your patience and attendance as I was learning how Zoom meetings work. I am also very happy that many of you have been practicing on Burlington English regularly. Please continue to do so this summer, for as long as you have access (you should be able to use it at least through June).

3) The answers to all class assignments through Monday, 5/11/20 (except for those on Burlington English), are now posted in the Homework Answers section.

Assignments from Wednesday, 5/13/20 (due Friday, 5/15/20)

1) Future English 3 textbook, pp. 190-192 

p. 190--Study the grammar boxes at the top of the page (on participial adjectives). Do exercises A and B

p. 191--Do exercises A and B

p. 192--Study the words for internal parts of the body in the box. If you don't know what a word means, look up the definition in your language. Do Exercise A: write the number of the body part next to the name for it in the box.

2) Future English 3 workbook, p. 112

p. 112--Do exercises A and B

You do not have to send me the above two assignments. We will go over the answers in class, then I will post the answers on this blog.

3) Burlington English Lower Intermediate Core
    
Do Lesson 5 (Health), section 6 (Grammar: Adjectives with -ed and -ing)

4) Extra (optional) work:

I have two posts on this blog which help you understand the difference between an adjective with an -ed ending and an adjective with an -ing ending. Click the links below:

LINK: Cartoon and examples of using adjectives ending in -ed and -ing

LINK: Participial adjectives--short animated video

Tuesday, May 12, 2020 Assignments for 5/13/20

Tuesday, 5/12/20--

I gave homework to the online class yesterday (Monday, 5/11), but forgot to post the assignments here for anyone who wasn't able to attend the online meeting. I apologize for my lateness.

Assignments (due Wednesday, May 13) *

*    Since I didn't post the following assignments until today, you don't have to send your work to me by Wednesday. We will go over the answers in class, and then I will post them on the blog.

1) Future English 3 textbook (this finishes unit 9 for us)

p. 182--Read about reported speech at the top, do Ex. B
p. 183--practice 2 at the top of the page

2) Burlington English Lower Intermediate Core

Lesson 6--In the Workplace: section 4 on reported commands and requests

Doing this section on BE will give you further practice on reported speech.

3) Future English 3 textbook--Unit 10: pp. 186-187--Vocabulary for doctor and hospital visits

• p. 186, Ex. B

Review the vocabulary in the yellow box (places in a hospital). Look up any of these words you do not know. Then try to match the numbers of the pictures with the vocabulary.


     For example, picture #1 (with the babies) matches with maternity ward (where mothers have their babies), so put #1 in the blank in front of that term.

• p. 187, Practice 2

On p. 187, look at the telephone numbers (these are extensions, the last part of a phone number) for the different departments in a hospital. Then do practice 2--fill in the blank with the number of the department you would call in each situation.

4) Future English 3 workbook--Unit 10: pp. 110-111

• p. 110--Label each picture with one of the words in the box.
• p. 111--Do exercises B, C, and D

Friday, May 8, 2020--Announcements and Assignments

Friday, 4/8/20

Announcements

1. Remember to send me your vote on whether you would like to work in unit 10 or unit 11 next week.

2. I will post the answers to Wednesday (5/3/20)'s homework this weekend, in the "Homework Answers" section of this blog.

3. Our last day of class is Friday, May 15th. Because of the virus situation, the ESL program will not have any summer school classes this summer. However, Ann O'Leary will be scheduling the usual testing/registration dates, beginning in early July (more information later). 

4. You will be able to use your Burlington English account at least through the end of June.

5. At this time, fall classes are scheduled to begin on Monday, August 17th. Of course, we do not yet know whether we will be able to meet back in our building. I will email you with more information when the college has made decisions about the fall semester.

6. I recently sent you a message by email about Teacher Linda, who is retiring after 25 years of teaching. If you were in Teacher Linda's class in the past, we would like to collect your memories or thank yous to give to her. Teacher Theresa is in charge of collecting them. Here is what the email said:

Teacher Linda is retiring after teaching ESL at Black Hawk College for 25 years!

Please help us honor Teacher Linda. How? Write 2-3 sentences about a memory. Record yourself speaking the memory or speaking a thank you. Videos should be short because many videos will be put together to make a gift for Teacher Linda.

Here are some ideas:

I’ll always remember you because_______________.

In your class, I learned ________________________.

The best thing about your class was _______________.

Thank you for ________________________________.

Send your videos to Theresa Bries at briest@bhc.edu. Put “teacher Linda” in the subject line.

Thank you so much!

Theresa

To Teacher Linda!

Assignments (due Monday, 5/11/20)

1. Future English 3 Textbook, p. 177--complete sentences in the middle of the page (#1-4)

2. Future English 3 Textbook, pp. 178-179

Read p. 178 and then do Ex. A and B
Do Ex. A on p. 179

Please send me your answers to both of the above assignments by text or email.

3. Burlington English Lower Intermediate Core

• Do Lesson 3: "Getting a job"--section 4: "Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives"

• Then do all sections of Lesson 6-"In the Workplace."

NOTE: As usual, I will be able to see what you have completed in Burlington English by looking in my teacher's account progress reports.

4. Choose a book from the "Readers" section of Burlington English. Read it and write four sentences about what you read. Tell the title and author of the story, and then tell a few things you liked (or didn't like) about the book.

Here is an example (the book I'm using is not on BE):

     I read Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. My favorite person in the book is Elizabeth Bennet. She is smart and funny, and she has high standards for the person she chooses to marry. Although Mr. Darcy was rich, she wouldn't marry him until he changed his proud and insulting behavior.

This was assigned earlier in the week, but you have until Monday to send me your four sentences about what you read, by text or email.

Thursday, May 7, 2020 Announcements and Assignments

Thursday, 5/7/20

1. I have posted the answers to the homework assigned Monday, 5/4/20, in the "Homework Answers" section of this blog. You can check your answers there, and let me know if you have any questions.

2. I am late posting Wednesday's assignments for those who did not attend class that morning (5/6/20). I apologize. If you need the weekend to finish them, that's OK, but I will be giving some additional homework in Friday's class (5/8/20).

3. Please look through the contents of unit 10 and unit 11 in the FER3 textbook. Send me a message by text or email with your vote on which unit you prefer the class to study next week (it's the last week of class, so we only have time to do one of these units).  

Assignments given Wednesday, 5/6/20

1) Future English 3 Textbook, p. 176

Study the Grammar section at the top of the page, then do Ex. A and B. You do not have to send me this assignment.

NOTE: The grammar box at the top does not give much explanation. Therefore I will assign a section of Burlington English on Friday, to give you additional practice on using gerunds vs. using infinitives after certain verbs. Log into BE and click the "Courses" box. Then click "3. Getting a Job" and complete Lesson 4--"Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives." You may have all weekend to finish this lesson--it is due on Monday, 5/11/20.

2. Future English 3 Workbook, pp. 101-103

p. 101--Do exercises D and E (on indefinite pronouns)

pp. 102-103--Skim and then read the article "Succeeding in Management" on p. 102.
Then complete Exercises A, B, C, and D on p. 103.

If you attend the online class on Friday, 5/8/20, we will go over the answers then. If you are not able to attend Friday's class, please send me your answers to the exercises on p. 103 by text or e-mail.

3. On Burlington English, in the "Readers" section, pick a story (if you have not already done so) to read. Please finish reading the story by Monday, 5/11/20. 

Then write four sentences about the story you read, telling the name of the book, who wrote it, and what you liked about the story. Send me your sentences by text or email, by Monday, 5/11/20.


4. Please look through the contents of unit 10 and unit 11 in the Future English 3 textbook. Send me a message by text or email with your vote on whether you prefer the class to study unit 10 or unit 11 next week (it's the last week of class, so we only have time to do one of these units).

Hints for joining a Zoom meeting from Burlington English

If you want to join the Zoom meeting from BurlingtonEnglish.com, be sure you log in with your PERSONAL ID (a number that starts with 900) and password, NOT the Zoom meeting ID and password. The Zoom meeting ID and password will be shown in the box that pops up, but I have hidden this information in the picture below.

After you log in, click "Away from school." From the menu boxes, click on the box that says "Virtual Scheduler." Then click on the meeting date, and a box will pop up that looks like this:

The timer doesn't start until 15 minutes before the meeting begins. At 5 minutes before the meeting begins, the box will look like this:

Simply click the green Join Now button to join the meeting.

You can also join by going to zoom.com and entering the meeting ID and Password listed in the box.