MONSTER IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Hey! Charlie Brown comes to mind when mentioning 'the pumpkin patch'. In this story a farm is the setting so you can imagine that there would be a pumpkin patch.

FUN story from a FUN TEAM!!!

 

             Here it is:

       THE MONSTER… IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH.

Once upon a time, a poor little girl named Rosy lived on a farm. She was ten years old. Every morning she got up before sunrise. Her job was to feed and take care of all the chickens, two cats and a dog.

One day, Rosy was awaked when she heard loud barking. She went quickly to the window and she saw nothing out of the ordinary. But her dog was still barking, so she went outside. While she was running after her dog, she saw something unusual in the pumpkin patch. It was black, huge and it moooooved very slowly. Rosy was afraid but however curious. When she had reached the pumpkin patch… there, she saw a MONSTER.  

After a few minutes,  she realized it was some kind of giant human figure. It wasn’t a monster but… a homeless man and he had been sleeping there. He was really hungry and Rosy, a compassionate girl, prepared breakfast for him.

TEACHER'S COMMENTS: Loved this little story especially the moment of suspense when we can just imagine the monster because it is well described! I hope that you like my image of how I personally imagined the 'thing lurking' in the pumpkin patch.

                        Happy Halloween!

LURKING means > presenting a threat 

 

 

COMMENTS ANYONE!!!

More stories to come this week!

 

 

Halloween 2016 CREATIVE WRITING!

HELLOOOOOO ... there!

This 'holiday' is a great opportunity

to use for creating, telling or writing stories.

Now for a nice change, I proposed to

the intermediate and advanced groups

to try some 'creative writing'

What a great idea I had!!!

The outcome is outstanding!

 Here is one of the first excellent stories:
 

 

A ‘BUMP’ IN THE NIGHT

Last year, at midnight on Halloween, some teenagers decided to squat in an abandoned school.

While they were telling scary stories about mummies, they heard a very loud noise and it had come from the roof. They challenged each other to see which one would be the one to go upstairs. Fred decided he would be the hero! While he was climbing the stairs, unfortunately, a step broke.

“AAAAAHHH!” he moaned in pain.

Fred had fallen down and was now crying  out for help. The others rushed to his side and realized that Fred had broken his leg. They called someone to rescue him.

Sidetracked by this incident, they would have never known what the noise was. A few minutes later after they had left the building,  a huge owl spread its wings and flew across the orange mooooooon…

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

   Céline, Lise and Odette

TEACHER'S comments:
you knocked my socks off!
I have just finished editing your original draft.

The story is excellent and flows,

keeps you in suspense and has creative qualities.

The verb tenses are all there and well used!!

I (as a teacher) just added a few expressions

for vocabulary learning purposes.

I also applied a few sentence structure rules

and  corrected word order.

The next step is to publish it on my blog,

(which I have just done)

to let your classmates have a look!

I hope you like the edited version.

I enjoyed listening to it the first time.

NOW you can read it once again

at our next class.

 

PROCRASTINATION... aborted!!!

 

 GOOD MORNING!!!

Spring time and spring cleaning!!

Guess what I'm doing for the next three days!!!

Cleaning my appartment, picking up and

organizing what has been lying around

 for a few months...

Call it coincidence or the UNIVERSE telling me to MOVE IT!!!

 I have been put into a situation that requires me

 TO TAKE ACTION!!! What is it do you ask!!???

Here's the story:

the triplex where I live has been put up for sale

 and the realtor wants to visit the appartment...

 SHOCKED, SURPRISED and FLABBERGHASTED!!!

 I told her that it wouldn't be possible

until next Wednesday!!

I have a DEADLINE!!!

There is nothing like a deadline to give

 a procrastinator incentive to move it!!

So there it is!

 

 

 

I'll write to you next week when I can get back to

my favourite activity of all, besides beeing outside!

WRITING and writing to you, dear students!

Have a great weekend,

SUZANNE



I'M 70 and LOVING IT!!!

 

* un message suit  pour les amies et amis  

 

 

TODAY is my BIRTHDAY!!!

 and here is a fun image
 that I found on Google

 

 

Yes! I feel really fabulous!

It all has to do with growing up

and choosing what you love and

what you want for your life!!

AND one of them is TEACHING!!

And I am still at it !

 

LOVE to you my dear students!

    You are the best and you make my life WONDERFUL!!

You keep me smiling every Tuesday and Wednesday!

But most of all, you help me stay young!!!

___________________________________

 

And what would life be....

without humour...

 

   * QUOTES from The Wise and the poets:

 

"The spiritual eyesight improves

as the physical eyesight declines." Plato

 

Another from the poet,

Thomas B. Aldrich,  that I just LOVE:

 

 

Voici une traduction libérale

de ces paroles précédentes:

- Garder un cœur sans ride, avoir la foi,

être généreux, joyeux et respectueux,

sont les secrets de la jeunesse

qui , elle, n'a pas d'âge!.-

 

MERCI pour toute votre générosité

 de paroles et de souhaits de fête!

Lorsque je souffle sur les chandelles,

voici mon vœux pour cette année:

 revoir toutes les belles personnes

 que vous êtes et profiter de votre présence.

 

Aujourd'hui vous m'avez aidée à faire 'le plein'!!!

SUZANNE xoxoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 



HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY 2016

Hi! To each and everyone of YOU!!! 

And Happy Saint-Patrick's Day. 

To the Irish part of you, from your ANCESTRY,

and we know that it is a fact that Québec greeted 

so many Irish immigrants over the centuries that 

you could be a quarter, a fifth, a half, or an eighth

which ever ... the Irish is in you and in me.

 

BEST WISHES!! and

 may the LUCK of the Irish be with you today!!

 

SUZANNE

A WELL MET CHALLENGE!!!

A WELL MET CHALLENGE!

WELL CHOSEN words!!!

for JULIE'S hard-working skills!!

Why do you ask?

Well Julie is a student that was 'parachuted' into

the intermediate group  after only one session as a beginner.

Because I had to close this group and didn't want her

 to lose what she had invested time and moneywise

 I suggested that she 'graduate' rapidly.

I also did the same for Lynda L. her then classmate.

 BOTH are doing fine!!!

 

Here is Julie's adventure story!!
with a few tweaks from the teacher...;)

 

________________________________________________

 

  AN UNLUCKY SITUATION

 Three summers ago, my family and I went on vacation to Ontario. We always like to go camping every summer with our caravan (trailer home).

 

On one day, while we were there, we went to Marineland and after to Red Lobster’s, my favourite restaurant. After dinner we returned to the campground. On the way there, the police arrested me because I was driving too fast. I didn’t know that the speed limit in Ontario was lower than in Québec. Normally I’m not nervous but this time I realized that I didn’t have my driver’s license.

“Oh! Oh! I’m in trouble!” I said to myself.

 The police officer, mmmm…, the ‘big’ police officer walked towards my car with an angry face. I said, “Sorry! My husband drank a lot and I wasn’t supposed to drive. So I don’t have my permit with me. So sorry!”

The officer said nothing and returned to the patrol car. He took a long time and when he came back, he said, “Because you are a very responsible person, I’m going to give you a ticket of 46$ instead of 246$” I responded by thanking him so very much.

When we arrived at the campsite we saw my cousin and he had been waiting for us to come back. The awning of our trailer had been broken by the wind.

 My husband’s reaction was to exclaim,”TABARNAC!” Something he never says.

Right now as I am writing this and thinking back, it makes me laugh but at that time, it wasn’t so funny.

 

  GOOD JOB, Julie!!!

 I’m really glad that you took the challenge! 

 

Ù Campground is the place (all the sites)                   Ù Campsite is where you park your trailer

 

  

 

 

WHAT A GREAT SUNNY DAY!!!

 

 

Today is March 5th...

How did that happen?!

 

What do I L♥VE about March?

1. Another five ESL classes,

YES! Five have already gone by.

2. Warmer weather, melting snow,

no more winter boots, scarf,...

3. More sunshine and longer days

4. The first signs of spring

5. Easter candy, one word: CHOCOLATE!!!

6. Fresh air and movement

7. Better mood

8. Saint-Patrick’s Day

9. Coming soon… summer cottage!

The reason I like May first!!

10. Finally, my birthday!!!

I’m still here!!

SUZANNE

P.S. What’s your favourite month of the year?

 

ANOTHER GREAT STORY !!!

AN IMPORTANT KEEPSAKE and SOUVENIR.

By Ginette Robillard  

My mother’s name is Thérèse. Today, she’s 87 years old and she lives with my sister, Francine. When my mother was a child, she started learning the piano. She learnt for many years and she used to be a very good pianist. I wrote “she used to”  because now, she is a deaf person and she has arthritis, so she can’t play anymore.

When she got married and for many many years after, she couldn’t have a piano in her home. So I always heard my mother playing only when we were at my grand-mother’s home. I also remember that while she was playing, I often cried. Her music made me feel nostalgic.

Fifteen years ago, when she moved in with my sister, she bought a piano. One day, my sister decided to record her music on a tape. And after a few years, she transferred the tape to a CD.

Today, my brother and sister, my children and I, plus some other family members own a CD of my mother playing piano. It is a very important KEEPSAKE that will remind us of our mother and her piano playing for all the rest of our lives.♥

______________________________________________________

     Don’t you just love these heartwarming stories!!

Thanks so much GINETTE!

              MY COMMENT:

I was really touched by your personal story.

It made me think of my own TANTE LAURETTE

who used to play  the piano when I went

to visit my great-grandmother.

I also got the urge to go and look for

some of my own keepsakes which

of course include my childhood photo album! 

  SUZANNE ♥

 

NOTE: MEMENTO, KEEPSAKE, SOUVENIR are all synonyms used to describe an  object that reminds us of a person or an experience. We all have them!!!

PUBLISHING some of my STUDENTS creative writing!!

It is with great pride that I am posting and

will be doing so in the next few days

some of my intermediate students'

 stories and anecdotes.

WOW!!! Challenged with creative writing,

 they are bravely and confidently MOVING ON!!

A new chapter in their learning experience.

 

 

 I HAVE DONE IT ONLY ONCE!

 By Louise St-Jacques

When I was young, every year I went with my family to my uncle’s cottage up North in the Laurentians for one week in the summertime.  At that time, my uncle had a boat and all of my cousins knew and had been water skiing since they were very young. So, when I was about 15 years old, I decided to try it. I had been  watching them several times and thought that I would  like to try it. But I was afraid because I knew that I would end up with a broken arm or a leg!

My uncle, Aldège was an experienced boat driver and I was confident about him driving the boat. On the first attempt, only my head and my hands got out the water. The rest of my body stayed submerged. I had the feeling that my arms had been torn off of my shoulders. Then  I tried following  my cousin Maryse’s instructions:  “Bend your legs,” she said, ”tense up your back side, stretch your arms.”

While I tried to position my body, my uncle had been patiently waiting for me to be ready. Suddenly, he said 1-2-3- GO! and he was off! For the second time I immersed such as a submarine. I had a lot of water in my mouth, my nose and my ears. I really didn’t like it.

Courageously, I tried it about twelve times. My best performance was a distance of three metres…  I survived this terrible experience only to tell you that I will never do it again. That was the first and the last time of my life to ever go water skiing. 

 

I thought I would add the expression:

LEARNING CURVE.

Thanks LOUISE for taking the challenge.

WELL DONE!!!

 

Thanks for reading and sending some comments

that I will then pass on to LOUISE!! 

A very proud teacher,

SUZANNE 

 

WHY I LIKE SUNDAYS!!

 

 

IT'S OBVIOUSLY

BUT TODAY, WHERE'S THE SUN :(

HI! there BEGINNER students.

I know for sure that many of you 

WORK ON your English homework

 on the weekend. WHY is that?

Because many of you WORK during the week,

so you must like SUNDAYS!!

 

I LIKE SUNDAYS too!

- because I can get up later

- because I can take my time

- because I can relax

- because I can HAVE lunch/brunch at home,

- because I can have fun with my family.

 Why do YOU like Sundays???

Write a few sentences and

you can read them in class next Tuesday!

Here is some help with WORDS!! 

VOCABULARY:

* for sure (NOT it's sure)

* on the weekend (NOT in the weekend)

* at home (NOT in my home/house)

* PHRASAL VERBS:

- get up and - work on

*COLLOCATIONS with HAVE:

have lunch, have fun, have time, and more

HAVE A NICE SUNDAY!!!

SUZANNE