A real story about strange sounds

As I am not a very gifted author of poems I decided to tell you about a funny day in my life. I hope a lot of other storys will follow...

It is now exactly three years ago since I moved from Baar to Emmenbrücke. I remembered my first night sleeping there as if it was yesterday. After a short night I woke up at 9 a.m. hearing the unmistakable sound of a brass band. "Where the hell am I?" I tried to remember. A short look from the balcony (still in the pyjamas)showed me a crowd of people following the brass band to the church where they were celebrating the "White Sunday" and the children in their white dresses got their first Holy Communion.
In the afternoon another piercing, incessant noise interrupted the relaxing silence. It was a constant, strange noise that reminded me of bees or hornets. I avoided to enter the bureau for the rest of the day. By laughing out loud the house owner explained me the next day what had caused this unbearable din. It had just been the wind that had blown threw a small gap in the window...

Besides, if you are fond of brass bands, it would be a good opportunity to visit the church in Emmenbrücke in two weeks when it is "White Sunday" again :-)

Wishes???

Now that we only have less than one third of the course ahead of us, it's time to dig into the exam itself.
We will begin each lesson with focus on one exam task. In order to get the most out of if, you need to tell me what you find most difficult or what in particular you want to look at. I will then plan accordingly. So leave your wishes here as a comment or write your own post (it's always nice to read what others write!)

And now...

Hello again!

Hi everyone
As you can read, I survived the week-long course! It was a good one, as Judith (your new teacher ;-) ) can confirm.
I'm also very sorry about being late with the text on the wiki. I was busy being a mother for an hour or two before running off again last night (ask on Tuesday), but it's on there now.

I also noticed that not much is going on here in general. So, maybe you could tell us all about a book you've recently read or a film you've seen.

I'd also like to ask you to go to flo-joe regularly to practice. They have good exam practice and models of corrected texts. I'll show you the possibilities next time if you want.

Hello everybody

I`m your new teacher ... :-)

Illya is really busy, so she ask if anybody would post a notice (todays programm and homework) on the blog.

...and that is what we did today:

-Warm up (what do you know...about tenses, defining-non-defining clauses, articles, countable and uncountable nouns,...)
-vocabulary of anger
-listening practice (CB p. 118)
-language of emphasis (some of us told stories about neighbours, children and parents in school and also about their own children)
-speaking practice (CB p. 120)
-writing (we got a really helpful sheet with short notices of all the writing tasks)

Homework:

-Illya is going to post a proposal on the Wiki (we have to improve it)
-CB p.119
-CB p. 121-123
-WB Unit 9

see you next week
Judith

Wishes??

Remember last week when I told you that I will take your wishes into consideration?

Well, I'd like to give you the chance to express your wishes here :-)

If you have any problems, be they specific or general, leave a comment or write a post. And you all are also invited to help out and answer as well! If we work together, everyone profits double.

And if you haven't taken time to fill out the survey in the post below, could you please do so? I thank you for it.

Survey again

This is just one more reminder so you don't forget the survey. Thank you for your time, it should only take a couple of minutes.

http://windev.humanities.manchester.ac.uk...

Survey on learning with technologies

After two weeks of 'Narrenfreiheit' (this should become an English word!) it's back to the classrooms again, including the English classroom.

You have all been very helpful in letting yourselves be recorded, quoted etc. and now I have another favor to ask of you.
Could you please be so kind as to follow this link and complete the survey on how you use technology for learning?

We will be using technology a bit more as I too have been learning over the holidays. My problem is often how to make the language relevant to you as the user, and at the same time prepare for the CAE exam. In discussion with other language teachers ideas have begun to ripen and I am ready to take on the learning structures.

One of the impetusses has certainly been the research I am taking part in, but seeing you do the same thing for a real purpose that the book would have you do for the simple sake of practice, and I would have you do in the hopes of stimulating your interest, has been a further motivator for me to look at my own role in our classroom.

Since this is all for your sake, I do appreciate your feedback and am also interested in how helpful the technologies I introduce to you are helpful for your learning. And if you would find them useful in your teaching!

Hello everybody

First of all: Happy new year! I wish you just the best for 2008 and hope your wishes will come true.
I thought it's the best to inform you all why I wasn't in the course the last three weeks. Not that a rumour will be spread :)
My sister was for two weeks in hospital and she was in a serious situation. She's at home since last Monday, but she has to be on a watch. The last weeks were utterly exhausting. So I decided to stay at home.
I hope this isn't a bad omen for my 2008...:)
I'm looking forward to see you all after the carneval break.

Greetings
Nadine Gerster

Links

I have two links for you. Both are on the list of links, but I'll give them to you here too.
First, I have a very god model of the report you were given to write on the last practice test: http://caewords.wikispaces.com/Reports

The second is on reported speech. There are explanations and exercises as well. It's the top one on the list of links.


Thanks for filling out the consent sheets. I think such discussions are an excellent way to make use of the language for a real purpose. I hope you all agree.

Eats, shoots, and leaves

I found a video for you about the author of the book 'Eats, shoots and leaves'. It's a shorter version than the original, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.

And here's the story:
A panda walks into a restaurant and orders a small meal. He eats it, takes out a gun and shoots into the air and walks out. The confused waiter follows him out the restaurant and asks 'Why?'

The panda gives the waiter a badly punctuated wildlife magazine and says, 'I'm a panda. Look it up.'

The waiter looks up 'panda' and finds the following entry:
Panda- Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots, and leaves.


Stay tuned for more over the Fasnacht holidays!

achievements in 2007

Well, thinking of the last year, I must admit, it wasn't really my best year ever. The relationship to Totor fell apart, no new challenges in the job and generally lot of "NO's" throughout all possible levels of life. Without having feelings of regret or bitterness, I can say that my last year was disorientating and provoked more than one question.

Fortunately, I had some great pleasures too. For the first time in my life I walked up to a mountain higher than 3000m above sea level. It was during my autumn holidays in Sent, where I spent several days in brightest sunlight. What a marvellous place to be! I can really recommend the hostel I booked: the swissroof (www.swissroof.ch). There is such a familiar atmosphere and if you like to live together with other people and share your life, then you'd like this cosy place.

But I wanted to tell you about the Piz Lischana. Sitting on the balcony of the hostel this peak layed across the valley in a majestically way. A great barrier - but an outstanding challenge as well. So, my friends Brigitte, Fabian and I took the bus to a tiny but beautiful village where our journey began. It was freezing cold and shadowy. Frost had changed the landscape with its white coat into a magical surrounding. Lifting my head I could see the powerful mountains in the most beautiful sunlight above us. So we gently walked up towards these peaks more than 1400m of difference in altitude. Arriving on top of the Lischana, we had to climb the last 50m - it was just splendid and liberating. I could have cried!

As a souvenir I took some stones with me, which have special colours: a greenish grey with violet patches. Every now and then, when I am feeling sad or discouraged I take it and it gives me back this feeling of strength and positiveness!

My 2007

My 2007 started in a difficult way. As the result of having been five month on an other continent, I found it difficult to acclimatize in Switzerland.
I still missed my life abroad without any bond. It was summer until I could say that I feel at home.
In summertime, I went to England by train. It required 10 hours from Lucerne to London, but it was a new experience! We visited the World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford and it was an emotional and interesting time for me because I could have contact with people from all over the world. In addition, it gave me a punch of motivation to continue learning English.
In the last days of this year, I made my biggest achievement. After 13 years of snowboarding (without one day of skiing), I toke some skis up to the mountain and came down without any broken leg. It was more then fun!
For 2008, I hope that I can pilot my life in the right direction. Maybe, there`ll be some decisions which have to be taken.…but step by step ...

My achievements in 2007

In 2007 we got a new manager (a young man, 18 years younger than me) at the WBZA. So I had to find a new way how to cooperate with him. After one year of cooperation, I can say that we are a very good team. Moreover, we are working very hard, but there is a very good atmosphere!
In my private life there were some highlights too! In March, we were in a skiing vacation in Austria. There, we went hiking with our skis on a very high peak. We made more than 1700 m up with our skis and the furs. It was a big challenge for me, but I did it with all my energy! In May, I visited my relatives in Chicago of my own. It was the second time I was travelling of my own by plane so far away, so it was quite a challenge too. My relatives were very hospitable with me and we had a great time together! I was very excited to recover the very interesting city of Chicago again!
In the 2008 I hope to go on many peaks again; we are planning an other skiing vacation in a cabin. Furthermore, maybe I'll try to pass the CAE exam (I'm not sure yet...) And having fun with my family and that everybody can fullfill his dreams...

moja kwa moja

...it is kiswahili and means step by step. I made some smaller and some longer steps last year. But I think most of them went the right direction. So there are no great achievements... Apart to improve my english skills, I started learning kiswahili. Then I made the first time in my life shoes for myself. I had a excellent teacher at Nyali Beach in Kenya. And now all my pupils at school are proud owners of handmade leather shoes.

We could celebrate my father's 80th birthday... I finished my first halfmarathon...and I met many good people, shared precious moments with my family and my friends...

I will be on my way also in 2008. English will have highest priority! :)...but moja kwa moja...

My achievement in 2007

Unfortunately I didn't have such a great achievement as you had Illya. But during the last year there were numberous small things like try to improof my cooking skills or joining a lot of inline races, which I wanted to do since a long time.
The most lucky achievement was a nice guy who I got to know at a party at the beginning of last year and which whom I know live at the Sonnenplatz :-)
An achievement which wasn't lucky at all was the dead of my uncle in April last year. This was a very bad time especially for my mother. My sister and I had been with my uncle as he died and I will never forget the last minutes before he died. The following hours also had been unforgettable. The doctor came to proof if he is really dead, afterwards we had to clean my uncle's body and to put him on some nice clothes. In the morning three men arrived with a casket where they laid him in. Beside, my uncle left me a cow (my most favourite cow) after he died. So I am now the owner of a cow!!!
As you see, there wasn't one big achievement I could write about. Yet there have been a lot of impressive experiences that I won't forget as long as I live. Moreover, I hope that my cow will soon get a calve!

Reflecting on the past and moving forwards

I found a great idea on another blog. It asked readers to leave a statement about what they had achieved or learned in 2007. Now I'm asking you to do the same. What one thing stands out from 2007 that you learned or achieved? IF it's more than just one, that's okay too.

What do you hope to achieve in 2008? That's the step forwards.

I'll start here:

I think what stands out most is what I've learned through internet technology. I have made good friends from all over the world who help me in my endevours to become a better teacher using technology, and this blog is certainly one of the fruits of this learning.

In 2008 there are many things I'd like to achieve, but one stands out particularly.
I believe I introduced the Matopo primary school blog before. The person who runs the project is a very wonderful person and I admire her greatly for the work she has done keeping up this project.
Now I would like to help by encouraging teachers, pupils, classes, even schools, to begin collecting materials for these children.

I see that there can be profit both ways. Classes already learning English can actually use it for a concrete and real life task, regardless of their level.
They can leave a comment on the blog introducing themselves and documenting how they are going about collecting materials.
Pupils can learn about Zimbabwe as well as poverty.
And the children at the school will, of course, also benefit.
However, the materials should be at least near new since postage is so expensive, and money for postage can also be collected.


If you are interested in joining in, let me know or leave a message at the Matopo blog.

I'm looking forward to reading your accomplishments from 2007 and aims for 2008!

And one more Christmas post

I just couldn't resist sharing this :-)
By the way, this was actually the song I had wanted to sing with you. After you watch the video, take a look at the link below it.




The 12 Days of Christmas

And the background of the song and what happens when you take the lyriks too seriously ;-)
Happy reading!

http://www.cvc.org/christmas/12days.htm

My first Swiss Christmas

When I came over here many years ago as an exchange student, I stayed with a family with a small child. They were very kind to me and even had St. Niklaus come to visit. I was impressed because he only came when I was asleep in the US, and he clearly stayed on a diet here in Switzerland, being quite long and lean.

But the big surprise was that, after telling me all he knew (this wasn't the surprise) he brought forth from his big bag a pair of winter boots for me. And they even fit! This was a surprise. How did he know what size my feet were?

However, this was just the beginning of the surprises that were in for me.

On Christmas Eve I was banned from the living room, so I played with the little boy and waited, wondering what was going to happen next. Another Santa, maybe?

Well, there was a little tinkling of a bell and we were called into the living room.
Lo and behold, a living Christmas tree full of real, burning candles!
I had never seen such a sight before, for burning candles on Christmas trees are forbidden in the states (many a town has burnt to the ground on such festive occasions).
So my first reaction was - Where is the bucket of water!
After I had gotten over my fears, I ooed and awed the Christmas tree.

I will certainly never forget my first Swiss Christmas!

I wish you all and your families a very festive time during the Christmas season and a very Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart :-)

Preview of next week

So here's the scoop (= here is what's new)
Next week we start with a game about the world-famous Entlebuch. So what do you know already? I have to admit I don't know much, but I'm happy to learn :-)
We'l also do the listening part of the exam I've handed out and look at the writing, so try to come to the lesson!

I'll bring my little laptop along so you can try to write a post. So you might want to bring along your password or write it on the back of your hand.

Sorry, for the dull post. I guess I'm saving up for the last lesson of the year.
Oh, and there were some answers I was supposed to leave you from the book:
Common mistakes at CAE ...and how to avoid them by Debra Powell(CUP, 2005)