Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab - For English as a Second Language

Hi! To all

Today these 'listening' links for all to use.

Explore them and when I get the time I will include them

in my tools ( look to the right)

By the way ... what great classes this week!

There must be something in the air!!!

LOVE,

Suzanne

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab - For English as a Second Language
AND
http://www.manythings.org/elllo/

Friday, February 24, 2012

SPECIAL MOMENTS

MOMENTS …

Some of my most memorable experiences were born

from unexpected, beautiful moments…

And this morning I'm having a ‘moment’ …

a moment of importance !

Today is February 24, 2012. It’s Friday morning and after having a good night’s sleep, I have awoken with such a great feeling of relief and one of deep satisfaction. The video that has been in the works since I first talked about it to my ESL students last year, has finally been made! Well, except for the editing, it was created and recorded yesterday evening. Today, it is!!

This morning I can only be thankful that everything worked out! And I have to thank Valérie and her little team of film makers. She really is a great teacher and very experienced in dealing with young 'wanna-be' film makers. I am glad that I actually collaborated with them. Two generations brought together: my student-retirees, represented here by Diand D. and what could be, their grand-children. I also have to thank last minute volunteers such as Louise, a close friend, and her partner, Richard, who in real life works on film sets as an expert lighting technician. And not to forget, Jeanne, their daughter that came along and participated in the fianl scene, the tea-party!

The ‘moment’ I’m having is also about the way I handled myself. This morning I’m very proud of the way I let go of control and wanting everything to go my way. Last evening was all about letting everyone BE their best at what they do, including myself! And it worked!!

It was an incredible experience and I am very excited about the outcome. I trust Valérie’s expertise on editing all the footage. I’m so glad we collaborated and gave these kids a real live experience. And to give Diane and Louise the opportunity to participate in a video in which they had to speak English! Way to go!! I’m also glad about the last minute upsets and changes … they brought with them precious positive moments! It turned out to be the best at improvisation with a little bit of preparation. My casting experience, last minute at that, turned out for the best; we made delicious lemonade with the lemons!! Louise and Diane were great! I knew I could count on them. They joined in with a few pertinent questions and killed some of the silences that were necessary while mixing the scone ingredients (the video: how to make scones).

This morning’s moment is all about being thankful and the feeling of accomplishment. Stick to your dreams and wishes. Stick to what you believe in, creativity and being different. Listen to your personal needs and the rest, opportunities and persons, will surely make their way to you!!! MOMENTS that you never expected and just come into your life and elevate it to another level. and there are more to come!

I hope you have a few "moments" yourself this week.

Feeling good!

Love teaching and love my students

and my friends!

SUZANNE

NOTE: a few expressions for you,

To have a moment … Do you have a moment?

At the last moment … A moment of silence

and, a moment of truth.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

ALL ABOUT TEA!!

TEA 茶

A Universal Beverage.

We all know that there are things in life that exist;that are. One of those things is a good cup of tea!! Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. Tea is an aromatic drink prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term TEA also refers to the plant itself. It has a cooling and slightly bitter flavour which many people enjoy.

What does TEA represent in MY LIFE? Well there are many aspects to my experiences: past, present, and future. I was born in England and was raised by two British women, my mother, Kathleen and my grand-mother, Ethel. I started drinking tea at a very young age. My grand-mother always had her ‘cuppa’ in the afternoon and she always shared some with me. She used to pour a small quantity into her saucer and then hand it to me. This was really a ritual and I still remember today. It was always a special moment for me. Today I do not drink tea that often. I have tea only on special occasions. Every year I share my tea and scones with my ESL students and we have a little ‘tea party’. I enjoy EVERY MOMENT OF IT! I share my heritage and recipes with them. The tea I reserve for these occasions actually comes from England. I bought it during the last visit with my family, my aunt and cousins, in Yorkshire.. The only regret I have today is that I didn’t buy enough while I was three. Sadly I cannot find a match here in Montréal … for I have tried ;(

To conclude, I will say that right now, I am producing a video which shows you how to make my grand-mother’s scones from the original recipe. It is an honour to share this ‘how-to-bake-scones’ video with you. You will eventually see it in a few weeks on YouTube.

Until then I hope you all enjoy your cup of tea’s and the satisfying moments that they bring to you! Today’s researchers are very positive about all the health benefits of people who consume tea, especially those over 65 !!!

SUZANNE

NOTE: My source for the general info comes from Wikipedia where you can read more about TEA. Below, you will find the step-by-step calligraphy (writing) of the word tea, a bit of visual … You know me !!!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

An IDEA to HELP YOU!!!

THIS MORNING I woke up and

had what I think is a fantastic idea!

You know when it comes to choosing the right verb tenses, I always tell you not to translate and to concentrate more on the idea or message that you want to get across.

WELL … I think that I have come up with something interesting and NEW!!
Here goes!

We all know that there are things in life that exist and that just are.They are always there and never change; we have come to think of them as facts. When it comes to us personally, it’s the same situation, that is: we are who we are with our physiques and personalities or character traits. Now, we all experience life in different ways, such as daily habits, routines and emotions Things we usually do on our own time or daily schedule.

We also have had experiences in the past, at some time or another, that affect our lives in the present. Things we have done that we really liked and some that we regret or wish we hadn’t done. Some things are really finished and we can talk about them as such. We often refer to them as anecdotes or situations that have happened or happened to us in the past.

However some of our actions or decisions continue on till today. Some are never finished and are on going in our lives and the lives of those we love. Some we are doing right now, like reading!!

And as individuals that grow, we have plans and an outlook towards better things to accomplish. We all have dreams and wishes. We all want better lives so we try to improve or change or work towards our goals!!

LIKE LEARNING to be BETTER in English!!

So there! I think I have summed it up, don't you agree?

You will find all your verb tenses used here as EXPRESSED WORDS!!

Always there to help! SUZANNE

Any comments???

Thursday, February 16, 2012

NEVER GIVE UP!

Today I decided to clear up the front of my refrigerator door! YES! You know what I mean. And it starts with the cute magnets. I have the best collection ever! I have very tiny pink ice cream cones, and mini flower pots, and the holiday souvenir gift I received from my dear friend, Sylvie when she went on vacation to les Iles-de-la-Madeleine. It's made out of sand and represents a sand-castle and sculpture competition they have yearly on the islands. I also have a collection of cristal ones that look like huge diamonds. I LOVE the BLING!! And white round ones from Ikea, they have a simple and modern look! and they are very effective. YES! they will hold anything up!

Now these magnets are holding up discount coupons of soap,

plastic wrap, diswashing liquid, aluminum foil,
toilet paper, cat food, and more.

The funny thing is that I always forget to bring them with me

when I go to the supermarket. I actually had to throw a few out!

I have a few Lotto tickets too. WHO knows

I might be a millionnaire and if this happens to pan out ...

someone else would be cleaning my fridge door!

Just the thought makes me smile. But don't worry,

I would never stop teaching, because that's worht a MILLION!!

There are also a few photos. The two that I really like are

those of my niece, Sandra, a graduation picture and a wedding photo. Soon I'll have a baby one too... YAY!!! She's expecting.

There is also my collection of little heart magnets that are holding up my collection of 'fortune cookie' messages that are ... never mind!!

There are a few positive messages and sayings as well.

Now I'm finally getting to the point, the title of today's post.

One of the messages is:

NEVER think of giving up on a goal,

because even by walking slowly, you CAN go so far.

I put this on my fridge a year ago because I needed to remind myself to EXERCISE! Well ... It still tells me to start walking slowly!! Soooo it's going to stay there! To conclude, as a teacher, I can also encourage you to take it step-by-step, go with your own rythm and NEVER QUIT!!! WHY??? Because you have done more than I,

YOU HAVE already STARTED towards your GOAL!!

Keep up your good work!

LOVE YOU!

SUZANNE

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

MAXINE'S Valentine Sing-along!!!

Hi! To all of you!

I hope you are having a great Valentine's Day!

Here is a repete performance !!!

Maxine and her perceptions of Valentine's

in a sing-along version.

This is her take on Valentines' songs

and with it comes her own brand of humour.

I just LOOOVE Maxine!

She says what we are all really thinking ...

sometimes!

Sorry! About the second one ... I cannot find the way to REMOVE it :(

Suzanne

Monday, February 13, 2012

LOVE .... LOVE ... LOVE ... Has everything been said?

What has there not been said and written about love!

Romance novels, romantic movies, love poems,

Valentine's Day cards and wishes,

love quotes, song lyrics, and more.

I have been thinking how to approach the subject

in a different way and, as a teacher,

I have what I think, is a great idea.

Why not be practical instead of romantic!

Let's use your extraordinary and very useful dictionary,

TO LOVE (verb) and LOVE (noun)

page 441 Let's go!!

To love: verb [T]

1. To like someone in a romantic or sexual way: I love you.| The first boy I ever really loved.

THESAURUS:

If you are infatuated with someone, you have unreasonably strong feelings of love for them.

If you have a crush on someone, you have a strong feeling for them, but it usually only lasts for a short period of time. Carrie has a crush on her next door neighbour.

If you are crazy about someone, you love them very much, especially in a way that you cannot really control.

If you are devoted to someone, you love them and are loyal to them. He has always been devoted to his wife.

* OPPOSITE: to hate

2. to care about someone a lot, especially a member of your family,or a close friend. I love my Mom!| It can be hard to cope with the loss (or death) of a loved one > someone you care about.

3. to like something very much, or enjoy doing something a lot: I love chocolate!

love doing something: Pete loves to go to the cinema.

love to do something: When he was young, he loved to spend time reading.

4. spoken: to express or say something that you want to do very much: I'd love to (do something): I'd love to go to Bali one day! |Do you want to come? I'd love to.

:OOO ... OK!

I would love to keep on writing right now,

but I would like to take a break.

SUZANNE

P.S. Have you planned your Valentine's Day celebrations yet?

Sunday, February 12, 2012

LOVE SONGS

LOVE SONGS.

This morning the HEADLINES read:

Whitney Houston dies at the age of 48.

I am really saddened to hear ...

Our generation knows Whitney Houston and she has many fans if not, we are at least familiar with so many of the songs she interpreted with such uniqueness. Some of us even have a few or a lot of her recordings, but one 'stands out'. How many of you fell in love or were touched by the movie, The Bodyguard, in which she starred with Kevin Cosner,another ‘hearthrob’.

Today I’m posting Dolly Parton’s famous song lyrics made popular by Whitney. These lyrics touched many of us in different ways but mostly made us daydream, fantasize about an ever-lasting love; shed tears thinking aout ‘what-could-have-been’; hope for this romantic love!! Well it happens in the movies and in real life too, doesn’t it?

Here are Dolly Parton’s lyrics. If you click on preceding link, you can also read about the origins of the song on Wikipedia. With the lyrics you can follow along with Dolly as she sings the words that she wrote in 1973 and sang in the 1982 movie in which she appeared with Burt Reymnolds, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. CLICK on following title for video.

I … will always LOVE you.

If I should stay
Well, I would only be in your way
And so I'll go, and yet I know
That I'll think of you each step of my way
And I will always love you
I will always love you
Bitter-sweet memories
That's all I have, and all Im taking with me
Good-bye, oh, please don't cry
Cause we both know that I’m not
What you need
I will always love you
I will always love you
And I hope life, will treat you kind
And I hope that you have all
That you ever dreamed of
Oh, I do wish you joy
And I wish you happiness
But above all this
I wish you love
I love you, I will always love

I, I will always, always love you
I will always love you (ter)

Dolly Parton!

Suzanne

If you wish to read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57376028/singer-whitney-houston-dies-at-48/?tag=pop;stories

And listen to Whitney:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ivtcelIo0

LOVE .... The best feeling ever or is it?

THE NOUN

1. A strong romantic feeling for someone.

+for: their love for each other.

To be /fall in love with somebody. He fell madly in love with her.|

Do you believe in love at first sight? (coll.) | A love song ! My grandmother kept all her love letters.

2. When you care very much about someone, especially a member of your family or a close friend.

+for: a mother’s love for her children.

3. Someone who you love: You were my first love

4. A strong feeling of liking or enjoying some-thing very much or something that gives you that feeling: +of his love of the countryside |

She has a great love of music.| His greatest love of football.

5. To make love (to/with somebody) coll. To have sex with someone.

6. (with) love (from) somebody, used at the end of a friendly letter: Hope to see you soon. Lots of love, Suzanne.

7. To send/give your love to someone, to ask someone to give your friendly greetings to someone else: Your father sends his love.

8. British, spoken and informal: a) when you are speaking to someone you love: Are you alright, Love? b) used when talking in a friendly way to someone you don’t know, especially a woman: What did you just say, Love?

To add a few expressions, collocations & idioms:

A love affair, love at first sight,

to fall in love,

Love for ever & ever.

And other words that represent parts of speech:

lovable, lovely, lover, loving.

LOVE

has been the inspiration for anyone that writes,

whether it be the most sophisticated form

sush as the LOVE SONNETS from Shakespeare

to a simple love letter written from the
♥

What is your favourite love song,

love quote or poem?

SUZANNE

NOTE: This was posted last year, Sunday February 13th.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

AN UP-DATE FROM MY FRIEND, MAXINE

MY NEW BOYFRIENDS !!!

Hi! Here’s what has been going on!

I am seeing 5 gentlemen

(give or take) every day!.
HERE THEY ARE!

As soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get out of bed.

and then I go to see John and stay for a while!

The third is Arthur Ritis, he shows up and stays for the rest of the day. He doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.

After such a busy day,

I'm really tired and very glad to go to bed