pearl's life

How to Improve the Four Language Skills (Part IV: Writing)

2008-02-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

Writing is a process.

The fourth language skill is writing. Writing may be considered the most difficult of the languages skills and is thus a valid means for the assessment of the overall foreign language proficiency of learners. From my point of view, we can learn to write by reading good writing written by others, practicing writing ourselves, having our work corrected by a teacher or a friend, understanding and learning the corrections, and then rewriting correcting. One of the best ways to practice writing is to keep an English diary. Each day write from half a page to one page; write simply and clearly, don't worry about mistakes and keep on writing anyway. Another good way to practice English writing is to write letters to foreign pen pals. Furthermore, we can express our views by writing "Letters to the Editor." As long as we write something every day, we will gradually improve our writing.

There is only one way we can't learn English well-- if we don't learn it. However, with hard work, practice, and the right approach, English can be learned. If we keep studying steadily, day after day, constantly practicing the language and using it at every opportunity, we can little by little improve our listening , speaking, reading, and writing in English.

How to Improve the Four Language Skills (Pary III: Reading)

2008-02-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Reading is like climbing stairs.

Let's go on talking about reading. To read is to grasp language ,patterns from their written representation. In a second language, reading is usually taught to students who are already literate in the source language.We Chinese students spend more time in reading. In my opinion, if we want to advance in reading, we must enlarge our vocabulary and phrases. And we have to form a habit of reading foreign newspapers and magazines, such as the China Post the China News, and the Reader's Digest. They are all very helpful to the improvement of our reading . In addition, I always believe language, like music, has its own rhythm, and reading out loud helps memorization, conversation, and spelling. The most important thing for senior high school students is , when waking up in the morning or after getting home in the evening, to read English out loud assertively 10 or 20 times until our throats are dry. After reading something for a long time, first, we have memorized it, second, we have practiced pronunciation, and third, we have mastered the melody of English. After that, when we speak, maybe we can avoid speaking Chinese-style English. Indeed, this is the secret weapon for laying the foundation of reading.

How to Improve the Four Language Skills (Part II: Speaking)

2008-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

How to Improve the Four Language Skills (Part II: Speaking)

Speaking is another target in foreign language learning. To speak a foreign language fluently, I think there is no loyal road except practice. Talking with foreigners face to face is the best policy. If this can not be done, get together a few times each week with a Chinese friend whose spoken English is approximately the same as yours. Choose a conversation topic each time and agree beforehand to speak only English. Don't worry if the other person can not correct all your mistakes or makes mistakes himself; far more important than being corrected is for you to open your mouth and practice speaking English. Besides, we can take part in a debate, conversation club or speech contest. These are all good approaches to the improving of our speaking ability.

How To Improve the Four Language (Part I: Listening)

2008-02-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

How to Improve the Four Language Skills (Part I: Listening)

Hello, everyone. Happy Year of the Rat to you. As the new year begins, I wish you good luck in achieving everything. More importantly, I hope you can learn English well and com out on top in the New Year. Today, I'll teach you how to improve the four language skills.

As we know, language is used to convey the thoughts and feelings of one person to another. It can also be used as a medium of communication in technology, commerce, tourism, diplomacy, pop culture, and so on. Therefore, learning a foreign language,especially English, has become a fashion. But when we are learning a foreign language, we must pay much attention to the four language skills: listening,speaking, reading, and writing. The reading passage often becomes the basis for speaking practice, and a writing exercise may be developed from listening activities. Then we can make great progress in learning a foreign language.

According to my experience, listening is the first step of learning a language. When we talking with others, we must fully understand what they say. Otherwise, we can't communicate with them. The most convenient and the best way to train listening ability, I think, is to make the most of radio and television. The various English instruction programs on radio and television, such as ICRT, Discovery, and Studio Classroom, are very useful. For students at more advanced levels, listen to ICRT, which is a good way to improve your listening skills. Foreiign movies and television programs represent another very useful pedagogical device, where sound and sight are combined and mutually reinforced each other. But really listen and keep your eyes off those Cninese subtitles. Finally, we can select English language CDs available at moderate prices, covering evreything from pronunciation to grammar and conversation. These are very valuable. If we have a CD player at home, we can practice with the CDs whenever we have time.

My Wishes for 2007

2007-02-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Hello,class. Happy Chinese New Year. May the year of the Pig bring you great fortune, great favor, and good health. It's wonderful for us to get together around the firplace and stay up all night on New Year's Eve. Also, it's great for children to make a New Year's visit and get a red envelope. Besides, the new year gives us the opportunity to make new wishes. I hope you can do your best to study harder and broaden your horizons. Furthermore, we should learn how to care mentally and physically for the people around us. If possible, live at peace with everyone. Love your friends and family as yourself. Most important of all, I hope for peace and love all over the world in this new century. Only by doing so can we create a better future . Now I'll give you an example on Sue's Wishes for 2007.

January I hope I can get better grades than others on my final exam.
February I wish that I could get a lot of red envelopes and have fun during Chinese New Year.
March I hope that our class will win the English playlet.
April I hope I can worship the anscestors and show my respect for them on
Tomb-sweeping Day.
May I hope I can receive many presents on my birthday.
Mom have a happy Mother's Day.
June I hope I can make good preparations and do well on my final exam.
July I wish I could lose my weight in the summer.
August Happy Father's Day to you, Dad.
September Have a nice beginning for a new semester. Hope everything is wonderful. I want to hold every teacher in high respect.
October Happy Birthday to my country------Taiwan. On this day I want to see the great fireworks in the sky.
November Happy Birthday to you, Da-tong.
December I hope I can get many Christmas cards and presents at Christmas.

What is life?

2007-02-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

Life is like a painting.

Hi, class. Do you know what life is? Today I'm going to teach you what life is. Life is like a painting. If we expose ourselves to good paintings, which are both instructive ane inspiring. For one thing, we can get useful information through good paintings. For another, good paintings teach us life,which is made up of truth, goodness, and beauty. In addition, we can get a lot of fun and broaden our horizons out of painting. Indeed, good painting is of much help to us.

But life is not all sunshine without shade, all pleasure without pain. Instead, it is roses mixed with thorns. As we proceed along it, there is always something meaningful and colorful waiting there to be discovered and treasured. Once we skip it , it will never come again. If we can regard any difficulty as a challenge, any creation as a beauty, or any life experience as a creed, we'll have a rosy, brilliant, and bright future.

How to Write

2007-02-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, class. Today I'm going to teach you how to write well. Writing sounds difficult, but we can lessen the burden if we write step by step. Writing is a continual process which involves searching , planning, organizing, and rewriting. Besides, a good composition must contain three parts: a foeceful beginning that generally introduces the topic; a sensible and interesting body that explains the topic in detail; and a logical ending that impresses the reader with the essence of the topic. Remember that you fill your composition with these three parts, and your teacher will reward you with a high grade.
Now I'll give you some tips on how to write well.
1. To brainstorm to get as many odeas as possible.
2. To shape the ideas you choose into unified paragraphs.
3. To develop each paragraph fully.
4. To revise.
If you follow these steps, you can learn how to write well.

How to make red bubble tea

2006-12-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

Class! Today I am going to teach you how to make a glass of red bubble tea. But I am sorry that I can't find my own-made video to show you how to make it. So how about watching a movie about how to make Blue Mountain, a cocktail? You can imitate its steps and make your own red bubble tea. .......Okay......... let's go........
My teaching plan for making red bubble tea is as follows:
Step 1
Have students watch the movie from VideoJug http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-a-blue-mountain

Step 2
Have students write down the correct steps to making Blue Mountain.
Step 3
If you can't follow what the movie says, please refer to the textversion from VideoJug.
Here comes theTextversion:
Step 1
You will need
45 ml anejo rum
15 ml vodka
15 ml Tia Maria
30 ml orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
ice cubes
1 lemon slice
1 50/25ml measuring cup
1 cocktail shaker
1 strainer (or sieve)
1 chopping board
1 sharp knife
1 juice squeezer
1 old fashioned glass
Step 2
Prepare the cocktail
First, half fill the cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
Add the anejo rum, vodka and Tia Maria.
Cut an orange in half and squeeze both halves. Add to the shaker.
Cut a lemon in half, give it a good squeeze directly into the shaker.
Put the lid on the shaker, give it a firm tap to secure and shake well.
Tap the shaker to loosen the lid and fit the strainer on top.
Step 3
Present your cocktail
Fill the glass almost to the top with ice and strain the cocktail into the glass.
Cut a slice of lemon, make a cut in the juicy part and put it on the side of the glass to decorate.
Serve immediately.

What is love?

2006-12-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Love is wonderful.

Hi,class. Do you know where love is?
One day, a student asked a teacher,"Where is love?" The teacher smiled and said,"Love is in the knowledge which I teach you. It makes you full and wonderful."
Then, the teacher asked the student,"What is love?" The student smiled and said,"Love is to do something for others. Don't always think about what others can do for me , but think about what I can do for others." The teacher said that you are great.
Now you all know where love is and what love is. Next, we are going to learn the importance of love.
Love makes the world warmer and runs more smoothly. Without love, there is always darkness, poverty, and illness. If there wasn't love among people, they would waste time hating, arguing, fighting, and even killing each other, which are meaningless.
I think that true love is giving without asking anything in return and then people can share it with each other.
There is a song"Imagine" written by John Lennom and I remember its lyrics well. It goes like this:
Imagine there is no possessions,
I wonder if you you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people,
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

The song explains love excellently. If there is love, there are no wars and religious conflicts. By means of love, the world will live as one.
Don't be reluctant to give others your love. Tell people how you love them and often appreciate the good jobs the do. Tolerate the mistakes made unintentionally as much as you can.
Love is the most important thing in the world because everyone needs it. So, love yourself and others. If you do, you will be loved by them.