Friday, March 28, 2008

Autumn has arrived



Autumn has arrived in Sydney, although the weather has been quite warm. I took these photos last week on my way to buy a coffee on our lunch break. Do you know where these wonderful sunflowers are?

  • Today I would like everyone to add your names to our esolf2f wiki and create a page for yourselves. You can add a link to your blog and add photos, music, whatever you like.
  • I created a new page called Events. Go there and have a look at the photos from Harmony Day. You can listen to the song we sang on the day. I would love you to write a bit about what happened on the day and your opinion about the whole thing. Feel free to edit what others have written, so that we don't have repetitions or grammatical mistakes. That's what a wiki is all about! Be careful, though, not to erase someone else's content, opinion, news, the photos or the song!
  • You can publish your recounts (first day in Australia or a holiday) in your blogs if you haven't done it yet.
  • We are going to learn how to write a report (very different to a recount!). There is a good example in Time4English, Upper Intermediate, 2G. It is about Aboriginal history. It is a listening exercise, so you'll need your headphones.
  • Print the report and bring it to class to analyse its structure and linguistic features.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Harmony Day photo show

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images

You can listen to the song we sang with all the other students who were there on the day by clicking hereWe Are One

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Easter Show

Do you know where this photo was taken?
The Easter Show is on! Are you planning on going? Have you ever been there?

Go to our wiki, esolf2f and add your name to the list of names.
  • Make sure you have recorded a message in the World Map of our wiki.
  • Ask your teacher to help you upload a photo on the World Map.
  • Visit Wendy's class wiki. Wendy left a comment in our blog two weeks ago and I thought her wiki has many ideas that yo may like.
  • Go to Ideas for this wiki, which is on the side bar, and start adding ideas of what to do in our wiki with Marion's class.
  • Go to our forum and write your opinion on Harmony Day.
  • In Time4English go to Grammar book, click on the letter Q and start doing the exercises on questions.

Extra work for your weekend:

  • A very good website to practise your English is the Oxford University Press. One of the exercises for Intermediate level is the Text builder. Choose lesson 2B. Follow the instructions and do it many times. It's fun and you'll learn a great deal!

  • If you find the Intermediate level too hard, you can try Pre-Intermediate 2D part 1, 2 and 3. You can also try the grammar exercises.
  • Listening: Splendid Speaking, Recommend a good place to visit in your country

Monday, March 10, 2008

Harmony Day

Do you know the name of this Australian architectural style? Answer the question on the photos. It will help you get to know useful vocabulary about houses. Most of the answers are spread in the album.


  • Go to Let's Talk, a website where we will publish your radio programs. Listen to Marielle's first radio program (she created it very quickly with Audacity and music from her mobile phone), Robert interview with Djimi, the student you met on our first week of class (Robert did it on photostory, a very easy to use program), and the introductory Semester 2 Students (recorded on a mp3 player) as examples of what you can do.
  • Harmony Day is approaching. We have been invited to a breakfast this Thursday by the Multicultural Unit of our college. So what is it that we are celebrating? Visit the government site and write in your blog about it. What is Harmony Day? Read some of the inspirational quotes of harmony from notable figures in history. Choose one and write about it in your blog.
  • Read about Australian athlete Nicole Boegman in Racism No Way. It will help you answer the forum question for this week.
  • Go to Time4English, Lower Intermediate, 5 Cultures and listen to 5D When Cultures Meet. Notice all the tag questions! We will talk about this in our forum.
  • Go to the Forum and answer today's question about cultures and racism. This will be one of the ways we celebrate Harmony Day.
  • You can check out some of the games in Racism. No way, like this Hidden word: Indigenous Australia. Do it at home on the weekend if it's too much today!
  • You can finish the series on Buying a Used Car in Time for English Intermediate, 8F.
  • Today we will learn how to edit a wiki. Go to our esolf2f wiki and do Task 2.
  • If you didn't have time to record your voice or leave a typed message on our wiki World Map, now is the time to do it! Marion's class have all recorded their message and left a photo. I will go around with my camera and take a photo of you or something that can represent you for our wiki and your blog.
  • Try to create a distribution list for your class in you email account. I will give you a copy of our email addresses. Follow the instructions in either Outlook on the TAFE portal or your own email provider (yahoo, gmail, etc). Ask for help if you need it.
  • A couple of you have to still send me an email with an attachment. Please ask me to show you how to do it.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Do you know the name of this tree?
Hi everyone,

    Today you will be working independently, as I can't be in class with you. By now you know how to navigate the blog and write your own posts in your individual blogs. Anne will be there to assist you and help you with your grammar, etc.


    There are several tasks that you should be completing today:
  • Visit our new wiki, esolf2f, and do the first 2 tasks. Anne will help you with the first one. Listen to all the other people who have already done it (Marion's students, myself, Anne and other students from last year). If you find the second task too difficult, I'll help you do it later on.

  • Email: check your emails and reply to the one I sent you. I had some errors in some of your email address, so you won't have received any emails from me (Helen and Samira). Please get my email address from one of your classmates and send me an email, that way I'll have your correct address. Everyone has an email through the TAFE portal. You all got the user name and password on a letter sent to you after you enrolled.

  • Add your classmates' email addresses to your address book

  • Write a word document (a recount of your first day in Australia) and send it to me as an attachment

  • Go to Time4English and in Intermediate, do the reading for Buying a Used Car 2 (8D)

  • Do also Buying a Used Car 3 (8E). It's a listening exercise, so you'll need your headphones. Ask Anne for a pair if you forgot them at home.

  • Hope you have a good day and good luck with the new tasks!

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