ALLEX: An Avenue to Scholarship, and Andy

A former NHSH student Andy (王榮頤) shared with me ALLEX on his visit this afternoon.  His girlfriend got a scholarship through this foundation and is studying linguistics at Texas Tech University. 

9th Grader Writes Sci-fi Novel in English--國三生 用英文寫科幻長篇

http://mag.udn.com/mag/education/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=453033

國三生 用英文寫科幻長篇

【聯合報╱記者鄭惠仁／台南報導】2013/04/28

Nature Soothes the Soul

On Puppy Love--親子俱樂部／國中女兒失戀

http://udn.com/NEWS/LIFE/X1/7858700.shtml

親子俱樂部／國中女兒失戀

【聯合報╱梁旅珠（親子作家）】

2013.04.27 04:02 am

A Good Lesson Plan for Teaching English with TED--"TED Talks as Authentic Listening Materials: Turning Points and Near-Death Experiences"--A TESOL Blog

This is from TESOL Blog.  The blogger Alexandra Lowe not only introduces TED as an authentic listening material but also describes how she used it in her class.  An excellent article.

http://blog.tesol.org/ted-talks-as-authentic-listening-materials-turning-points-and-near-death-experiences/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ted-talks-as-authentic-listening-materials-turning-points-and-near-death-experiences&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

TED Talks as Authentic Listening Materials: Turning Points and Near-Death Experiences

12 April 2013 by Alexandra Lowe

Different Perspectives of the Same Scene

           

Today I had a trip to Tamsui with five retired NHSH English teachers: 王達瓊, 呂碧霞, 袁梅英, 徐慰筠, and 陳章序.  The following photos were taken during our stroll along the Tamsui River.  They were all of the same bird standing on the rock, alone.  However, each shows a different degree of loneliness.   In which photo does the bird appear most lonely?

Can't Stop Learning English--多益980分 國二生堅持上英文課

http://mag.udn.com/mag/education/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=445407

多益980分 國二生堅持上英文課

【聯合報╱記者羅建旺／宜蘭報導】 2013/03/13

Individualized Remedial Instruction--客製化補救教學 把孩子都帶上來

http://mag.udn.com/mag/education/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=452134

客製化補救教學 把孩子都帶上來

【聯合報╱本報記者吳淑君】2013/04/23

To PhD Or Not To PhD, That Is the Question--博士賣幾個錢一斤哪？

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/OPI4/7846513.shtml

王正方／博士賣幾個錢一斤哪？

【聯合報╱王正方】

2013.04.22 03:22 am

Quotes from Yesterday's White Coat Ceremony at Chang Gung University

The following are a few words from the speakers at yesterday's white coat ceremony at Chang Gung University, which I attended.  Althoug the intended audience was the doctors-to-be, anyone following these words benefits.

1. 勿忘初衷

2. 以病人為師

The 2013 White Coat Ceremony at Chang Gung University

Fun Ways to Learn English--手機遊戲背單字 南大陳煥廷多益910分

http://mag.udn.com/mag/education/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=451109

手機遊戲背單字 南大陳煥廷多益910分

【聯合報╱記者修瑞瑩／台南報導】
2013/04/17

The Executive Ability--讀書能力≠做事能力

http://www.cw.com.tw/blog/blogTopic.action?id=5&nid=2788

讀書能力≠做事能力

作者：洪蘭2012/11/27

A Dear Friend

This noon I had a gathering with my dear friend Annie (詹麗馨老師) near her school.  It's been three months since we last saw each other. 

Boston Marathon Bombing; plus the Song Imagine

This morning I was shocked when reading the CNN and BBC news about Boston Marathon bombing.  I immediately sent some FB private messages to my relatives and students in Boston, Ohio, and New York to remind them not to go to where there are large crowds.   My heart goes to the victims and their family.  The following is a news report from CNN, followed by the song Imagine by Jonh Lennon, one of my favorite songs.  The world depicted in the song is my ideal world.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html

A Touching Sentence from a Student

This morning while I was text-chatting through FB with Hung-sheng (廖鴻聲), a former student who graduated from NHSH in 2001 and is now working in the States, a sentence from him really touched me. 

Knowing What the Other Side Really Needs

Recently I've been reading How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen, a professor at the Harvard Business School.   In the book, Christensen gives a remarkable and interesting insight into career, relationships, and character.  The following is the opening passage of Chapter Six "What Job Did You Hire That Milkshake For?"

Who to Award the Prize--哪些孩子該獲曼尼賞？

A thought-provoking article from the China Times.

http://news.chinatimes.com/forum/11051402/112013041300411.html

哪些孩子該獲曼尼賞？

• 2013-04-13 02:22


• 中國時報


• 【張元祥】

A Great Website about Festivals

I bumped into a great website iloveindia.com around April 4, when I was seeking anything related to Children's Day.  This website provides a wide range of information, including that of several festivals, such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Teacher's Day, Christmas, some Indian festivals, etc.  One page that interests me a lot is the Teacher's Books page.  Each book on the page has detailed description.  Click the link and check it out. 

Selfie; plus Using an English-English Dictionary

The other day at reading the March issue of Reader's Digest, I learned a new vocabulary word: selfie.  RD defines it as

On the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher--UDN & NYT Editorials

One way to learn English with news is by reading a piece of news in one's mother tongue and then the same topic in English.   The following is today's UDN editorial on Margaret Thatcher, who passed away the day before yesterday, followed by an editorial published yesterday on the same topic in the New York Times.  Enjoy your reading.

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/OPI1/7820443.shtml

鐵娘子：雜貨商之女走過世界舞台

【聯合報╱社論】

2013.04.10 02:03 am

"Got a big decision to make? Sleep on it"--a CNN Article

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/27/business/unconscious-mind-sleep-decision/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

Got a big decision to make? Sleep on it

By Rose Hoare, CNN

August 28, 2012 -- Updated 0846 GMT (1646 HKT)

Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies, aged 87--BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22067155

Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies, aged 87

8 April 2013 Last updated at 14:41 GMT

Comparision of Two Listening Comprehension Tests for Junior High School Graduates in Taiwan

Finally I finished the co-writing of listening exercises for junior high school students for a publisher this afternoon.  During the process, I consulted the listening test of both the Comprehensive Assessment for Junior High School Students and the GEPT--Elementary Level, which is intended for junior high school graduates.  The following is a comparison between the two listening comprehension tests.

"The Best Books I've Ever Read" from Amazon

For those who want to have a good English book at hand and savor the pleasure of reading.   There are 29 books on the list, with a review from the list author and Amazon customer rating for each.

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Books-Ive-Ever-Read/lm/R16L3TEPO7WV6N

A Story about Honesty--最棒的禮物──誠實

A touching story about how a three-and-a-half-year-old girl chose to be honest in the face of the temptation of a marshmallow, her favorite.   Read it and be touched.

http://udn.com/NEWS/READING/X4/7808792.shtml

青春名人堂／小瞎米：最棒的禮物──誠實

【聯合報╱小瞎米（楊聖弘）】

2013.04.04 03:54 am

Every Day Is Children's Day If...--兒童節反思／上學若開心 天天都是兒童節

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/X1/7809204.shtml

兒童節反思／上學若開心 天天都是兒童節

【聯合報╱羅丰苓／教（台中市）】

2013.04.04 03:09 am

Bravo, Yu-ting!

This evening, a former student Yu-ting (顏渝庭) called to share with me a piece of good news.  She passed the test and got admitted to the Department of English at National Chengchi University.  And she tops the list.  This is really something!   Yu-ting is a Chinese major at National Cheng Kung University currently and going to graduate this summer.

Tips on Writing--寫作力／柯友恩 寫作訣竅：多讀多寫不死背

Though this article is about Chinese writing, the tips it offers can surely be applied to English writing.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/education/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=448500

寫作力／柯友恩 寫作訣竅：多讀多寫不死背

【記者鄭惠仁／報導】好讀周報 2013/04/01

An Afternoon Chat with Geng-yu

After so many years, around 10 years, finally we got reconnected through my blog, a former student Geng-yu (張耕毓) and me.   An afternoon chat brought back the memories of good old days when I taught his class, Class 309.  That was the first co-ed class I taught at NHSH, a class working quite hard on their English.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt--Michael Rosen

Interesting video introduced by Annie (詹麗馨老師). The story, with a lot of onomatopoeia and repetition, is told by Michael Rosen in a lively way.

Who is Michael Rosen? "Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British broadcaster, children's novelist and poet and the author of 140 books. He was appointed as the fifth Children's Laureate in June 2007, succeeding Jacqueline Wilson, and held this honour until 2009." (Wikipedia-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Rosen)

Good Chinese and English Writing Samples from 2013 SAT

The CEEC has released 15 Chinese and 14 English good SAT essays on its website.  For an English essay to be picked and posted on the CEEC site as a writing sample, it has to be graded above 19.  Although these essays are not without mistakes.  they are good enough.

http://www.ceec.edu.tw/GoodWritingPieces/102SatGoodWritingPieces/102學測國英佳作.htm