Good Job! You are champions!!

An "earworm" is a song that repeats in your head.

I like earworms for English because they help you remember.

I've been hearing this song since Carolina started singing it today!

This English Class has been very fun for me.

You have a lot to be proud of!  You did a great job this class!!

When so many of you do so well, I feel like a champion!

Thank you!

 Good grammar and grammar words can make your progress much faster.

Grammar I Want You to Understand before you go to High Intermediate

Are you going to celebrate Thanksgiving this year?

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  What do you need to do?

Please come back!!

I hope you continue English classes here at Plum Center.

I really think that people who finish all of our levels with FCPS ACE and then two at NVCC

find life in the USA much easier and more fun!

If you are going to continue, please pay before 11:45 on March 22.

If you will continue in my level, please help me make the class more fun and relevant for you.

What are you going to do in April?  Are you going to travel?

At Last....

At last, our ten-week session is almost up.  No one failed.  Everyone learned a lot.  I hope you are happy with your progress no matter which level I choose for you.  I am very happy with the progress of every student who regularly made it to class.

Is there anything you want me to talk about before we finish the class?

Make New Friends

A long time ago, I was an assistant girl scout leader.  

Whenever I teach make vs. do, I think of this girl scout song.

Common expressions with make or do

Pick the make or the do!

Do you like to go camping?  Did you participate in girl scouts or boy scouts?  Did/do your children?

Is it easy to make new friends in the USA?  Write about meeting someone who became your friend.

At least

Use at least to say something positive or comforting when the main idea is bad or sad.  

The meaning is "at a minimum," but we always say, "at least."

The family doesn't usually help Rose do the housework, but at least they pitch in on her birthday.

I really miss him because he travels a lot, but at least he calls me every night.  

Many students aren't ready for high intermediate, but at least everyone improved a lot.

Read

Remember:  wanna = want to  till = until.  How we gonna = How are we going to

ad abbreviations

Examples from the CASAS Life and Work Reading Test tomorrow

Understanding a US Paycheck

Kid Video with basic map vocabulary  Silly Songs meant to inspire 6th graders to remember English map vocabulary

Please go to bed early, get a good breakfast, and come to English class!!

Used to...

What did you used to do when you were seventeen years old?  What were you doing Saturday at 2:00 PM?

When I was seventeen, I used to dance ballet.  I danced about 17 hours per week.  I used to try to teach myself to play the guitar.  I used to go to high school.  I used to read novels.  I used to talk on the telephone for hours.

On Saturday at 2, I was driving to Virginia Beach to see my dad.

Melancholy Baby

Vocabulary SET 3!!

Melancholy is a very old word for sad or depressed.  People rarely use "melancholy."
When I am sad and anxious, I don't like people telling me that my fear is foolish.


What makes you feel better when you are sad?  What is a good way to cheer up a sad child?

One foot in front of the other

We have two feet, so there is one and the other.  

One foot in front of the other is an expression for keeping on (persisting) a little at a time.

Your English is improving little by little.  What else do you improve at one step at a time?

The Luckiest People...

Write about one of the luckiest people you know.

Election Day!

Quizlet: Political Terms

Can you vote?  Is voting in your country similar to voting here?

What issues (ideas that people argue about)  are important to you?  

Did politics affect your life?  How?

Virginia Election

Challenging Information for politically curious advanced readers:  Fairfax and Virginia Election 2019

Tomorrow, Virginians will vote on the local and state politicians who run the schools and set zoning and business laws.

The whole country will look at Virginia tomorrow because it is the most likely state to change from a Republican majority to a Democrat majority.  (Some people are retiring.  There are currently three more Republicans than Democrats in the State legislator.  There is no Republican candidate for the Virginia Senate on my ballot.)

Voting Information
Government Website that lists all the Candidates in Virginia. Scroll down to your district number and right to their websites.

NPR Guide to Northern Virginia Elections. You can use this to get the names and district number for the websites listed on the Government Website

Common Political Vocabulary

Issue = Idea that people loudly disagree about

Minimum Wage -- No business can pay a worker below this hourly pay

Abortion -- pregnant women can have surgery to not have a baby  (prochoice-- surgery is available, and the government may pay for poor women to get it.  prolife-surgery is illegal -- considered murder)

Gun Control -- Government should decide or restrict who can own guns

2nd Amendment Rights -- Everybody should be able to buy a gun

ERA  (Equal Rights Amendment) -- A constitutional change that says that all laws apply to women and men the same way.

When I was younger, I loved the voting information from the League of Women Voters.  Now they link to Vote 411 and directly to the candidate's websites.  Vote 411 is a website that gives information about all the political races in the USA.  It was started by the democratic party, but they try to be fair in their information.

Vote 411 Information about the ballot for people who live near Plum Center  (Not simplified for ESOL, and not really finished)

WTOP News about the election

Mood = emotional state (Challenging sexy video)

NO MORE  = any more

Are you moody?  Do you have any moody people in your family?  Do you think people are naturally moody or that disciplined people learn how to control it?  Can you calm down a moody person?  How?

No class today because there is no electricity. We will make up the time with a full class on November 26! November 26 will be the last day of this session. We have class on Monday and Tuesday (November 4 & 5) even though our children don't.