Student 2

8/26

Here’s another video for you. For this assignment, you should listen for details. What name is the reservation under? What is Stu’s profession? Where is the room they originally booked? What is the problem with that room? What two solutions are proposed to solve the problem? Which solution do they choose? How much will it cost? What did the man ask the receptionist at the end of the movie clip?

For additional practice, write down what the receptionist says. These are common phrases you will hear in hotels, so you should become familiar with them if you do a lot of traveling.

Here‘s the source for this video.

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8/25

Here’s a new video for you. As you listen and watch, you will see that the topic is summarized in writing. However, the phrases (in red) aren’t actually spoken. If you need to, you can look those phrases up. Your assignment will be to discuss in your own words – based on what the narrator is saying – the several ways you can spot a lie.

Personally, I like this one because it might bring up some cultural differences in body language. If you notice any differences between your culture and American culture in this video in terms of gestures or body language, we can talk about those the next time we meet.

Here‘s the source of this video.

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7/30

Here’s a video about hiking safety.

Some guiding questions:

What did the park ranger say were the two biggest risks?
What do they recommend you do at the red line?
Why do they recommend this?

1st Listen:

Pay attention to the main idea. Try to answer the questions above on your first listen.

2nd Listen:

Were the answers to your questions correct?

3rd (Final Listen):

Write down the words or phrases that you couldn’t understand – take a guess at what the phrases mean, or what you think they said. We’ll discuss this next time we meet.

For extra practice, prepare a short lecture about hiking safety. Your audience is children. Use should (not), must (not), can (not), and do (not).

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7/27

This is a clip from the movie “The Breakup”. There are 3 examples of relaxed speech. Pay careful attention to what they’re saying, and write down what relaxed speech examples you hear (OK to misspell). Then, write the correct grammar form.

Example: Whadi jou say? = What did you say?

Towards the end, what transition did the blond guy say? (Hint: he added the transition before a sentence when they were talking about the other guy named Gary).

Next time we meet, describe what happened. Use reported speech (he said that…, she wanted to know if…):

First, Gary asked who wanted him off the team. or One guy said that he wanted…

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7/13

Hello! I have a new activity for you based on the Colorado Trail Video.

We’ve talked about the tone going down when you finish a sentence, or thought. The tone of your voice rises when you have more to say. Think of it this way: if you read out loud, your tone rises when there is a comma.

Watch the video again. Is he finished with his sentence, or will he add more? Listen carefully to his tone. In this activity, you will read (see activity below the video) and listen to the words. I’ve taken out the punctuation, so don’t look at the grammar. Your job is to decide if he’s finished based ONLY on his tone.

Write “down” if his tone goes down (as if he’s finished with a sentence) and “up” if his tone goes up (as if he is continuing).

Everybody knows the Appalachian Trail
lots of people know the Pacific Crest Trail
It runs for 483 miles from Denver to Durango
It’s the highest part of the state the San Juan Mountains
It takes about 40 days to hike the Colorado Trail from end to end
most people start in Denver
up here in the San Juans
the highest point is over 13,300
what they say about Colorado is true
The Colorado Trial overlaps The Continental Divide Trail
That means you could stay on the Colorado Trail
go as far as Denver or Durango
you could stay on the Continental Divide Trail
go as far as Mexico or Canada
To cover all 400 and some miles
it’s gonna take ya’ about 40 days
the scenery will be breathtaking
the adventure you’ll never forget

When you have answered all of them, listen again and try to imitate his tone according to your answers. Change your answers as needed. Next time we meet, we will discuss your results, and I will ask you to read the script using the same tone.

(Note: Different tone rules apply to questions. Right now, we’re only focusing on sentences).

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6/10

I hope you’re having fun on your trip! Here is a video from your favorite American TV Show: Desperate Housewives. If you’ve seen it before, that’s OK. It’ll just be more exposure to English for you.

Some phrases they mention in this 2 minute clip include:

good cop/bad cop
good guy/bad guy
defer to you
get the hell out
to put on a show
to bully
to man up
to be a wuss
damn right I am
guess what!
run from confrontation
step into the void
grind to a halt
I got news for you!
a breakthrough

You can find some of these terms on

http://www.urbandictionary.com/ ————–for pop-culture slang words

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/ ————-for idiomatic expressions

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Hi,

6/10

Ross and Rachel

Review Ross and Rachel’s story again using help from the following vocabulary list:

to bruise like a peach
knock it down
pull yourself together
baby jumps across the apartment to the mighty bird’s aid (run to someone’s aid)
misconstrue
an act of aggression
talon
faucet
ablaze
death grip

Your job now is to list all of Rachel’s worries about the baby being inside (at least 4). Then listen to how Ross incorporates all Rachel’s fears into a fantastic story about what is happening on the other side of the door. Prepare to retell Ross’ story.

Parents often worry about their children. Have you and your wife ever been worried about your daughter? If so, tell me about it.

Start with “One time when our daughter was ___ year(s) old, _____________.”

Continue with what, where, when, why, and how everything worked out.

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6/10

This video is from National Geographic Travel. Listen to this clip as many times as you need in order to tell me about the following:

the weather
other trails
cities/location
the various elevations and length of the trail
“It’s true what they say about Colorado” What do they say? Answer: You can get…

Vocabulary building: After looking at the video, use some descriptive adjectives to tell someone who has never been there what it looks like. Think in terms of size, shape, movement, quantity, color, sound, feel, taste and time. This website might help:

http://www.examples-help.org.uk/parts-of-speech/list-of-adjectives.htm

One example: the golden field of billowing wheat made a crunching noise under his feet. (golden-color; billowing-shape or movement; crunching-feel or sound)

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This activity has been completed:

Here is a podcast describing a holiday in the United States. Please answer these questions when you can, and write down any vocabulary words you hear but don’t understand.

What holiday am I referring to?

When is it celebrated?

Why is it celebrated?

How is it celebrated?

MemorialDay

I’m creating a page for you, so now all I have to do is link to activities instead of print/scan them. I will, from time to time, still do that as needed, but this way might be more convenient in terms of linking to very large content.

4-22-10 Part 1

4-22-10 Part 2

Part 3 was too large, oh well. Here are some vocabulary words to know: