This Week's Blog Topic (July 31)

Title: My Thoughts about this class

Think First

Think about your experiences in this class. What did you learn? Who did you meet? Where did you go? Did this class change you in any way, e.g. your thoughts about yourself, your beliefs, the world, etc.? Was there anything you loved about this class? Was there anything you didn't like? Is there anything that you think you'll remember forever? etc.

Then Write

Write a blog post about the experiences and feelings you have about this class.

This Week's Blog Topic (July 24)

Title: Values

Think First

Values are the things in life that are important to you. Your values determine what you consider to be good or bad, right or wrong. People can change their values, but it usually takes a long time.

Then Write:

Rank these values in the order of importance from 1-10.Put 1 for the most important and 10 for the least important. You may add other values to the list. They are listed in alphabetical order.

• A comfortable life
• An exciting life
• Developing yourself to the fullest (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual)
• Economic Stability
• Family unity
• Freedom
• Keeping harmony and balance in your life
• Stable and solid relationships
• Wisdom
• World peace

Write about why #1 is the most important value in your life now. Do you think this value will remain constant throughout your life or will it change over time? Why? Why not?

This Week's Blog Topic

Title: Any regrets?

Think First

When young, people often make choices that affect their lives. While you were a teenager, you may have had opportunities to join teams or special interest clubs. Sometimes people aren't able to join some events because of the location or a lack of opportunity, time or money, etc. Were you an active teenager outside of school time? What did you do? Most importantly, what didn't you do? Was it your choice not to do it?

Then Write

Write about three things you wish you had done when you were a teenager, but didn't. Explain the circumstances and explain why you regret not doing it. If you have no regrets, write about three things you did when you were that age, and describe what you learned from those experiences.

Mmm . . . beer . . .

Recently I bought some beer and one of the beers was bad, so I sent the company a complaint letter. They apologized and said they would send me some replacement beer. I asked them to throw in (give me for free) a t-shirt too - and they did! Woo-hoo!
Here is a picture of the t-shirt and all the free beer I got.

Great Concert!

I went to a concert recently - Nick cave and the Bad Seeds. It was AWESOME! I have seen many concerts (over 100) and this might be the best one ever. The music was great, the band was killer, and Nick Cave is a master on stage.

From the Vancouver Sun music review "rock n’ roll at its finest — mean, visceral and dangerous" 

This Week's Topic (July 10)

 

Title: Communication Breakdowns

Think First

Everyone, even native language speakers, experience a communication breakdown (you don't understand someone or someone doesn't understand you). The consequences (results) of a communication breakdown range from slight (mild) to very serious. As an ESL student, you have probably experienced a time when you didn't understand someone or someone didn't understand you. What happened? What did you do? What were the consequences?

Then Write

Describe the event on your blog. Include this information in your description.

·         What happened?

·         How did you feel about this experience?

·         What did the other person (people) feel and/or do?

·         What can you do to avoid this experience next time? What class activities can help you?

This Week's Blog Topic (July 2)

Title: Making Friends

Think First

What are the best ways to make friends when you are in a new city, school or workplace? What did you do in order to feel comfortable in your current school or company? Imagine that you have just arrived. What questions would you ask? What advice would you want someone to give you? Do you have any suggestions for a newcomer about how to make friends?

Then Write

Write paragraph for a newcomer to your school/community: “How To Make Friends at name of your school/ name of your community”