Thursday, June 5, 2014
Something New; Something Memorable
Write two paragraphs, one for each topic, one for "something new" and one for "something memorable." You may mention multiple examples or expand on one example. Your paragraphs should be a minimum of 150 words and maximum of 200 words for each topic.
Be specific and detailed in your writing. Use your best sentences and proofread carefully. Work is due before class time on Wednesday, June 11. Post here and bring a copy, properly formatted, to class to hand in that day. Thank you everyone.
My comments will follow yours and will be posted before the end of next week.
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9 comments:
Something new
What’s new about our class is the confidence in everyone. I have noticed in group that most of us are
eager to read out our homework and discuss our skills/abilities. The way we respect one another has
made a great environment in the classroom. Maybe it’s just me but I felt we all didn’t have time for
judgment and we encouraged each other to do better. Brad you taught us all something new and that is
patients, punctuation, respect, and appreciation. I know that these qualities have helped with my
writing as well as my communication with others. Now it’s time to take (absorb) everything from the
months past and carry it with us to College, or whatever we end up doing. Take your confidence
classmates and keep on writing, it’s good for your soul. Good luck with all your endeavours,
thank you Brad for teaching us more than just English.
-153 words
"Something memorable"
I will never forget the presentations, the short films, the accents, and of course our Teacher. Many things from this class is worth saving in a special part of your brain. The age differences between the classmates was actually really cool and it proves that age doesn't matter. We all got along and learned from each other. I can sit here and say something about each and every one of us but I think you all know that I liked you all. We had good laughs and most importantly we gave each other the advice we needed. Brad, I won’t forget the short films. I will probably go on youtube and watch them again.
I loved this class and would tell my friends about how I liked the Teacher so much and the assignments
were worth doing. This is personal to me because I could've had my English 11 already but I was stuck with really bad teachers all the time. Teachers that wouldn't care about marking my homework, Brad you definitely cared. Remembering this class will be easy because it’s the one step that will get me started on my career.
-194 words
Something New
There were many new things I did in Mr. Hyde’s grade 11 English course. For me writing poetry for the first time for our “Here I Am” and “A Note” assignments were very pleasant experiences. I found them challenging to write but rewarding at the end of class when I received my final mark. I was also surprised my family was impressed I could write the poems so well. I also enjoyed some of the videos we had watched in class. Before watching the film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” I had never seen a silent movie. Watching this with my classmates was a great experience and one I was glad to have. I was not even expecting to write about a silent movie when I first joined Mr. Hyde’s class. We even got to see RSA animation videos which were educational and fun to watch. Watching these creative videos is kind of like riding a rollercoaster because the speaker talks so quickly. I had several new experiences while participating in Mr. Hyde’s grade 11 English course.
-- 178 words
Something Memorable
There were many memorable things I experienced in Mr. Hyde’s grade 11 English course. The first memorable assignment we had, for me was the short story “Homework” by Helen Simpson. This is my favorite assignment we worked on; I enjoyed the story and reading about the characters. I’ll never forget reading about George because he had a problem that many young people and students go through sometimes. Not only was the story memorable for me but writing my paragraph about one of the conflicts in this story was unforgettable too. It’s the first assignment I wrote where I had a real challenge and found out I do need to get a bit of extra help. The good news is you can always get the help you need in the computer lab. Another memorable experience I had was writing my narrative essay. What I enjoyed the most was we took small steps when writing our essay. We would write drafts then a final copy to hand in. This took away some of the pressure and stress when writing a big assignment. There were several memorable things I accomplished in Mr. Hyde’s grade 11 English course.
-- 194 words
Something new
I liked this semester very much. I learned "something new", and it were blog homework. I learned also Group discussions, and finally I liked Short Stories.
I liked blog homeworks because it were totally new for me. I have typed sometimes a letter, but blogging and writting homeworks were an pleasant experience. I liked Group discussions as well because you could talk about a theme, and express your opinion in English. It were very amusement and entertaining. The students were from different countries, and it helped me to know other Nationalities and shared the idea of them within the Group. The students were from different heritages, and it was very interesting. And finally short stories were something new especially the fiction like "Katania" and " a spoiled man". I learned from them. In Katania, two friends meet each other after years in U.S.A. and Katya thinks that Tania is not her, but her mother. It was embarrasing. This Course was interesting because It had blog homework, Group discussion, and short stories.
170 words
Something memorable
In this Course I experienced something Memorable. It were Presentations, Films, and Poetry. In the presentation, which were two different times. I wrote about myself, and the jobs that I had and helped my parents,after highschool,and another presentation in poetry. The films were also interesting. The film Sunshine was in black and white, it showed the sorrow of a simple woman whoes husband wanted to kill him because of another woman. The couple came together and the story that was happy-end. The other woman had not the chance to marry the man. And finally the poetry was pleasant and wonderful. In the poetry, I remember the poet of mine, which was my job and that I sacrifice me for sick people. People in need and illness, and I remember Brad,s poem that he had thought as a teacher that if the students have understood what he taught to them, or it was just him. I liked this semester because of presentation, poetry, and Films.
165 words
Something New
Brad’s first warning was started with the very first assignment, “Read the comments under the post, “Something New; Something Memorable,” written by the class that precedes you.” It was very new to me that I refer to the other students’ writings and to comment on it. In hindsight, it was a diversion and tactical assignment which informed students in a significant way. At the beginning, using a blog was unfamiliar: to be a member and to leave a comment, and was very new to me to open my writing to the public. However as soon as I knew how helpful tool the blog is, I’ve really enjoyed the class-mates’ writings and also the teacher’s helpful tips. Similarly, the presentation of poetry was another task to overcome. However Brad’s ideal presentation (he stood up and read his poem, “Please Note”, and made a deep bow at the end) encouraged me to succeed in my presentation. His poetry recital and every comment for the every blog assignment were irreplaceably productive so that it guided and influenced me to fulfill my homework easily each time. My English, consequently, has been improved a lot by Brad with his distinct way of teaching. Needless to say, it was the best experience I’ve ever had for my life.
---212 words
Something Memorable
Challenging is not always smooth and attractive as a milky way in the night sky, yet it gives me an incredible pleasure when it’s accomplished. My uncertain belated joining of Brad’s English 11 class seemed too much challenge for me. After finishing Com. 12 English, I couldn’t continue to the next grade because of a lack of confidence. Writing weighted me down as a burden; a term of literature even scared me enough. However after taking a couple of classes, I realized that I was right to come back to PALC (English 11). From beginning to the end of the classes Brad showed his great effort and sophisticated attitude toward his students. His unbeatable tools – interesting short stories, group discussions, silent films, RSA videos, and poetry -- impacted on me so that I can pay attention every minute in every class. My confidence, consequently, has grown gradually throughout the semester; my fear of writing has slowly gone. What an amazing experience I have had! I’ve never ever thought it could be happened to me before. If I haven’t met Brad, English should be an obstacle forever for my life. I would really appreciate that, Brad!
---195 words
SOMETHING NEW
In this English 11 Class, I got fewer assignments (than my two previous classes at PALC), but they were more challenging. The assignments had not only expanded my mind, but also had helped me digging deeply into my heart. Furthermore, they had not only improved my writing and speaking skills, but also my ability to reflect on life. Besides, my teacher, Brad, with his almost 30 years of teaching experience, was using a special method in his teaching. I called it the comprehensive technique for learning English, where every student needs to think, write, review, share the writing process, and (sometimes) present his or her writing in front of the class. While a student was presenting, the others should listen, think and feel, and give comments on it. Moreover, before and after presenting, all of my classmates and my teacher would clap their hands to give support to the presenter. This type of learning was not only focusing at the result, but also at the process. I felt so blessed to have this class.
-174 words
SOMETHING MEMORABLE
There are many memorable moments in my English 11 Class. However, due to space constrain, I can only share two of them. When Brad said that he would show some silent movies in the class, I was thinking: “How can a silent movie be interesting in learning English? I am sure that I’ll be sleepy while seeing them.” In fact, it was not. Seeing the film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” made me almost cry, while the Charlie Chaplin’s film “Kids” made me laugh several times. I loved them and I even suggested my wife to watch them. Another memorable moment I will never forget is when Brad shared how he marks our narrative essays: “Reading your narrative essays made me sweat. They were very emotional. Even, after reading an essay, I needed to take a break about ten to fifteen minutes before I could continue to mark it.” Hearing these words of my teacher made me feel so proud to have a creative, very passionate and wholehearted teacher. So, at this moment, I would like to thank my teacher, Brad and my classmates for helping me improve my English.
-191 words
Something new
The English 11 course ends and we can summarize our result and remind interesting moments. . This semester was a little different from all the previous ones. The first time we were using internet resource for the studying (it is very convenient), the first time my classmates and I wrote our own poems and the first time we held a presentation to an audience. I think, doing the presentations were absolutely new experience for most of us but it was interesting and useful practice. I would also like to mention the friendly and relaxed atmosphere in which we had our lessons. For example, in the beginning and end of each student's presentation was followed by applause; it really helps tune the desired tone. In addition, throughout the semester, we read a few short stories : “Homework”, “Spoiled Man” “Katania”. Each of these stories were written by very talented, so none of the students did not remain indifferent; we argued a lot discussing these stories. All this things helped to maintain a creative atmosphere in the classroom.
179 words
Something Memorable
In English 11, we needed to write a narrative essay and it took a couple months from beginning to the end. I spent lots of time thinking about ideas every day. I have been trying to figure out who I believe is an inspirational person to me. Finally, I found someone who truly influenced me to be. In the beginning I had problems on how to start out my essay. It was hard for me to write a simple text, so when the teacher asks us to write a certain amount of words it is hard for me. I started to search up websites regarding how to excel on this essay. I received a low score on my final essay, but I believe that it is a working progress and I can learn from my mistakes. I also learned from my classmates with their help to improve my essay. In the end, I learned from these experiences that it will help me become better.
-164 words
SOMETHING NEW
In English 11 class, there were few things that were new to me. For example, I started watching videos, handing in homework online, and especially writing paragraphs in class. However, in-class paragraphs were the scariest and most stressful thing to me because I have to finish writing in a specific amount of time. I wrote my homework at home with my computer in a quiet place. It was so hard to write that one time, I remember that I just kept staring at my paper for about 20 minutes. I talked to Brad about my problem and he told me "Keep practicing in class". After uncountable writing in class, no doubt my writing speed has gotten faster than the first few months of the class.
I am glad that I did not give up at the beginning. Although my writing skill still has a lots of space to improve, I believe that I will do better if I keep practicing my writing.
--162 words
Something Memorable
There were some memorable moments in my studying. Each of us was writing a narrative
essay and a poem. I spend a lot of time to create my own life story. It was big internal work
that forced me to remember and relive some parts of my previous life. It was like a confession
to myself and to Anatoly, my former coach. Writing the essay helped me to rethink some
aspects of my own life philosophy. This work brought me a satisfaction. However, the most
memorable experience in this semester was writing a poem. It was a real creative process where I could combine my poetry writing skills with knowledge of English at the same time.
When some phrases obtained successful and sounded beautiful, I was happy as a child.
…“To keep a harmony
between reality and spirit
and be dissolved in it…”
“ What a Victor! What a S-o-B!” I praised myself.
Before the presentation I was nervous and thought how the classmates will perceive my poem. However, the most important thing was that I created this poem myself and got a real
joy from the process. Thank you Brad for this unique opportunity.
192words
Victor
Something New
Thinking of something new is a bit more difficult after having spent the past 27 years in the classroom (and having written quite a few of these). I’ve said it before: the students in a class are what is most “new” each term I teach. Just when I think I’ve met all the possible varieties of student, someone surprises me yet again. What Tony said here about the mix of young and old (er) students pretty much sums up what makes our classroom unique. Some of you also made an attempt at describing me as a teacher and, for me, it is always new to be reading about yourself in your professional role—scary, too! It seems to me that having new minds to influence and shape every term is enough newness for me. It is amazing that, after so many years, one can still be surprised by life, by students, by one’s profession, but that’s what is so positive about being here at the ALC. I’m very glad to have shared these months with all of you.
—178 words
Something Memorable
Grade 12
The personal transformation of your classmate, Monika, is a treasure to remember for a long time. It was one of those moments in a teacher’s life—what to do? what to say?—at our first “Here I Am” presentation. I guess my instructions, “to breathe and take your time,” worked well enough, but what is most remarkable is how well Monika was able to build on that experience and then to excel the next time she stood before our class. All of you deserve credit for the support you offered to her and for what you shared and gave to each other this term. Thank you.
Grade 11
It’s harder teaching a small class, but this small one is a memorable one. Every one of you was essential to the success of this term—your steady attendance, on-time homework assignments, willingness to engage and discuss difficult materials made my life easier and the classroom more effective. Besides, I had a rare opportunity to really get to know you all very well. Some of you face personal challenges and I want you to know that I admire your courage to take on a difficult course. See you in Grade 12 everyone!
—204 words
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