Mark Stepner

Welcome to this course.

Below are homework assignments.

For Wed., Aug. 14

1) Bring the article on the disabled former athlete.

2) Read pp. 216-221 in RR3.

For Wednesday, July 31:

1) Finish reading “The Doll’s House.”  Keep working on the questions.

2) Read about another country’s etiquette.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html

(http://www.culturecrossing.net/)

In your group:

Read about another country represented by our class, as assigned.

(Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, China, Thailand)

Be ready to talk about the dining, table, and gift giving etiquette–about 2-4 minutes per person.

If you would like, you can include etiquette for meetings.

 

For Monday, July 29:

1) Read pp. 133-143 in RR 3:  about dining.  Work on the exercises on those pages..

2) Start reading “The Doll House”–p. 39-41–in the short story book.

3) Do the timed reading and exercises–pp. 166-170.  Refer to p. 246 for the progress chart, and p. 248 for the answer key.  Be ready to report your reading time.

For July 24:

1) Be ready to give your presentation.  You can take more than 15 minutes if you need to for your group.  Plan to ask for questions from the audience.  Also, present some terms to explain to the class.

2) Read the article about extreme tourism and answer the questions about it.

3) If you didn’t time your reading for the fluency text on p. 113, go over pp. 112-114, and answer the questions.  Check your answers on pp. 246-247–Fluency Reading 2, Reading 2.

Please note:

The presentation of an article with a classmate is due on Wed., July 24.

If you have any questions, please ask.  Thank you.

For July 22:

A) RR3: Read pp. 110-132.  Do the exercises on those pages 118-123, pp. 126-129, p. 132:  Ex. A

B) Continue working on your presentation for July 24.

C) Read the article on “The 10 Smartest Animals”–Click on this page section (to the right in the blog):

Then you will find the article link at the bottom of that page.

There is a handout with questions that was distributed in class.  If you were absent, you can pick up a copy at the Front Desk at CELOP.

Read this article:

 

The 10 Most Intelligent Animals–article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For July 17:

A) RR 3:  Read Pp. 86-108.  Do the exercises that are non-group ones–pp. 93-105.

B) RR3:  Fluency Practice 2, Reading 1: Pp. 109-112 (top)  Read it, and time yourself.

Check your answers on p. 247, and put your reading speed on p. 246–Fluency Practice 2, Rd. 1.

Remember the formula:  No. of words (here–509) divided by the number of seconds x 60 = words per minute

C) On the right side of this blog–under “Reading/Speaking/Vocabulary 2013″:

Skim the article about synesthesia, and view the brief video about a researcher who has it.

For Mon., July 15:

1) Find an article with your classmate/partner for the presentation summarizing an article.  Roughly 500 to 1000 words in length would be fine.  Each pair has 10-12 minutes for the presentation itself.

You can find a hard copy of an article or an electronic one online.

It is possible to look online, like googling “a news article on…”  If you would like a librarian’s assistance, you can go to the BU Mugar Library in GSU and speak with a research/reference librarian there.

Email me an attached copy/a link to the article, or bring in a hard copy (for example, of a newspaper, magazine, or journal article).

2) Study for a test on Real Reading 3, Unit 3 (pp. 36-51), and the short story “The Man Who Could Make Miracles.”

Review the readings and vocabulary ex.  You do not have to memorize the order of the game in the first reading (on a Second Life) in Ch. 3 of RR3.

Take a look at the vocabulary exercise at the end of the questions about the short story,

and the additional study questions ( a new handout).

3) Continue Unit 5 in RR3:  pp. 76-85.

For week of July 15:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/12/174132392/synesthetes-really-can-taste-the-rainbow — NPR article

Video about synesthesia researcher

Questions about the video:

1) What kinds of synesthesia does she talk about?

2) What kind does she have?

For July 10:

1) Choose a partner to present an article with–in summary.

2) In RR 3:   Read Unit 5:   read pp.76-85.  Start the exercises on vocabulary and comprehension:

pp. 79 (D); pp. 81-84–top; p. 85.

3) Begin studying for a test on Unit 3 of RR 3:  pp. 36-51.

Review the vocabulary and readings.  You do not have to memorize the order of the game in the first reading (on a Second Life).

4)Bring handout #20.

5) Work on the questions on pp. 12-13 on the short story about miracles.

For July 8:

1) The short story about miracles:

Continue working on the questions–pp. 8-11.

2) Begin looking for a possible article to present with a partner,

related to the latest handout.  Think about whom you would like to do it with.

3) Think about a way to summarize the reading on Nik Wallenda–in #25.

Write a brief summary of that reading.

 

For July 3:

1) In RR 3:

Read pp. 68-75, following directions along the way.

Do Ex. A on p. 68, Ex. C on p. 69, “Read” directions on p. 69, Vocabulary Check on pp. 70-71,

Ex. B on p. 72, and Ex. C on p. 73.

2) Short Story:  ”The Man Who Could Make Miracles”

Be sure to finish reading the story.

Answer the questions for pp. 5-7.

2) Summary:

In Handout #25–about a summary, including an article about Jamaica:

Read the last 4 pages: about Nik Wallenda.  Do the vocabulary ex., read the story, and answer the questions.

 

 

For July 1:

1) Finish reading “The Man Who Could Make Miracles”  pp. 1-13 in the short story book:”

Continue working on the questions for pp. 2-4.

 

2) In the handout #20 on paraphrasing and summarizing:

Read pp. 201-211 (top)

Read pp. 70-71 in Ex. 6–the two-page handout with the essay–”Exercise for Everyone.” This will help you do this next exercise  on the other handout (See below.):

Do Ex. 4 on p. 211 in Handout #20–Do a summary of the main idea(s) and main points from the essay — “Exercise for Everyone.”    Write 5-7 paraphrased sentences/ideas from that essay.   Remember that it is a process essay.

 

Assignment for June 26:

1) Prepare for a test on Wed.:

a) Unit 2 of Real Reading 3:  pp. 20-35

Review the vocabulary ex.and the two (2) main readings and reading exercises.

b) Article on retargeting:

vocabulary (from the photocopied materials)

question about why retargeting can be a problem

(possible question about an example of someone who was followed online)

(Review the handout if you need to.)

2) Continue reading pp. 1-13–”The Man Who Could Make Miracles”–in the short story book.  Use the vocabulary page on the handout (photocopy) to help guide you, in addition to the questions.

 

 

Assignment for June 24:

1) Do Ex. C on p. 48 in Real Reading 3.

Begin working on Unit 4 in Real Reading 3 (RR3):

Read pp. 60 –67.  Do the various reading activities, and the other exercises listed here.

Do Ex. A on p. 61, Ex. C on p. 62, Ex. A and B on pp. 64-65.

2) Start preparing for a test on Wed., June 26.

It will focus mostly on Unit 2 in Real Reading 3:  pp. 19-42.  Review the vocabulary and the readings.

There will be a new reading on the test.

Also, there may be some vocabulary questions from the reading on retargeting, so review those vocabulary items.

3) Record your reading speed(s) from the Fluency Practice on Monday (pp. 53-54) in RR 3 on p. 246 in the book.

If you were reading 100-200 words per minute, that is good for a start.

One goal is for you to read 200-250 words per minute or faster by the end of the semester, with relatively good comprehension.

4) Start reading the first story in Outstanding Short Stories:

“The Man Who Could Do Miracles,” the first story.

 

5) Find an outside reading book of interest to you for extended reading practice in English–from the CELOP Reading Corner or a local public library. It should be challenging enough, and not too easy.  When you read it, read for the main ideas or story line, and don’t stop to check a dictionary for every new word.  That way you will enjoy the experience more.  You should be reading at least 20-40 pages per week in it, for reading fluency.

Let me know which book you have chosen.   Bring it to class. Begin reading it.

5) Start looking for a classmate, if possible, from a different country, to present an article of interest, to the class —presentation:  coming in a few weeks.   You will need to summarize the article very briefly and give a few examples.

 

 

For Week of June 24:

 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/h_g_wells.html

 

 

 

For Wed., June 19:

1) Finish reading the article on retargeting.

Answer the questions about it.

2) In Real Reading 3:

Skim pp. 37-51.

Do as many of these as you can:

Ex. A:  p. 37; Read. Ex. B

Ex. C–p. 38

Read pp. 38-39.

Ex. A  on p. 43, Read Ex. B

Read pp. 44-45

Exercises–pp. 46-48B

For Mon., June 17:

A) Start reading the article on retargeting.  Before you do this, look at the information on vocabulary items (See below):

On the right side of this blog, under “CELOP” click on “Reading/Speaking/Vocabulary 2013″ to see some information on the vocabulary from the article.

Think critically about whether this issue of retargeting is a pressing, important one or not–including how much it affects people in your country, too.

B) In Real Reading 3:

Do these exercises:

Review pp. 26-28.

Ex. A, p. 27; Ex. C, p. 28; Ex. on pp. 30-32, top; p. 33.

Skim pp. 37-51 (by June 19).

________________________________________________

Vocabulary on the article on targeting–For Week of June 17:

In the handout (photocopy) on the article on retargeting, check the vocabulary exercise (pp. 3-4) that you have on the article–after the comprehension questions:

Answers, with expanded information (Check a dictionary if needed.):

a. pervasive: spreading everywhere, permeating

b. hailed:  celebrated, praised

c. hounded: chased tenaciously, without end

c, queasy: feeling uneasy, discomfort, or disgusted

d. intrusions:   invasions (of privacy), forcing something on others

e. allay the fears of:  calm the fears of

f. connote:  be associated with, imply

g. creepy:  disgusting or frightening

h. :  crass:  gross

i. stalk:  hunt or pursue secretly

j. freak out: panic or lose one’s nerve

Addition:

peruse (p. 5)– read carefully

 

 

Monday, June 10:

1) Read pp. 12-25 in Real Reading 3.  Do Ex. A on p. 9 and the exercises on pp. 13, 14, 17, and 20.

2) Keep working on the questions for “A Model Millionaire.”

Reading about different generations–Week of June 10

Cross-generational workplace

 

Wednesday, June 5:

1) In Outstanding Short Stories–Read “The Model Millionaire,” pp. 14-19.

Answer the questions about it.

2) Read about Oscar Wilde, the author–using the first website–and be ready to discuss the questions about him.

3) In Real Reading 3–Read pp. 9-11.