Happy New Year!

Wish you a very happy 2010.

An Era of Computers

Every NHSH teacher has got a netbook recently and has to finish three computer courses by the end of this year. The three courses include Firefox, Audacity,and DIA.

A PPT for Unit 11: Glove Puppetry: A Folk Art Transformed

The following is a ppt I created this morning for Unit 11: "Glove Puppetry: A Folk Art Transformed."

glove puppetry.ppt

Glove Puppet Show

Christmas with My Former Students

On Christmas Day, five former students came back to school, Bubble from Class 313, Joel and Jeremy from Class 314 and Chong-hao and Gara from Class 310. I had two happy "chatting" sessions. In the bottom photos are the students with their former homeroom teachers. Gara from Class 310 stressed the importance of English, which is an important tool in college education. She even suggested that students listen to Studio Classroom together and have a discussion about the lesson in the morning study period every day. See how important English is?

Christmas with Class 209

214 Christmas Party

Yesterday my homeroom class 214 had a Christmas party in our classroom. They had a really good time. I enjoyed their laughter. The following slide shows what the party was like. Click on a photo at the pause and you can read the caption.

 

 

Why Do We Need to Know Schweitzer's Nationality? --洪蘭：為何要了解史懷哲是哪國人

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/OPI4/5330630.shtml

洪蘭：為何要了解史懷哲是哪國人

【聯合報╱洪蘭】 2009.12.26 02:23 am 

A Very Happy Christmas

Today I had a very happy Christmas with Class 214, Class 209, my former students, and my family.   Can you believe it?  I just got home.  Since it is very late now, I'll write about it tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Touched...

I was on the brink of tears this morning when my special student handed me a big key chain he made.

ei or ie?

Quite a few students have trouble spelling the word "receive" right. Based on my observation, I conclude that when it comes to "ei" or "ie" pronounced as /i/, the letter before the combination is a decisive factor. If the letter is "c" or "s," then the spelling should be "ei." Otherwise, it is "ie." To put it more simply, "i" has a straight line, so "ie" comes after a letter with a straight line. Here are some examples: receive, seize, yield, thief, brief, etc. Interesting, isn't it?

Take Fewer Courses, And Learn More

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=227507

台大鼓勵學生 少修課多學習

【聯合報╱記者陳智華／台北報導】2009/12/21

Ken's Visit to Class 214

 

This morning, Ken (王慶剛), a former student who is studying at Chengchi University majoring in Journalism and English, visited my Class 214. He talked to them in English for three quarters of the time. And the students paid their undivided attention. The following are some key points he mentioned:

What's Wrong with Taiwan's English Education

 

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=227110

台灣英語教育怎麼了？小時頂呱呱 高中差

【聯合晚報╱記者王彩鸝/台北報導】 2009/12/17

A Crisis Is an Opportunity

According to yesterday's United Evening News, Vice Premier Mr. Chu thought it a shame that Taiwan's students are poor at English.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=227248

學生英文差 朱立倫：奇恥大辱

【聯合晚報╱記者王彩鸝╱台北報導】2009/12/18

Where Have All Their Smiles Gone?--A Letter from a Ninth Grader

This is the letter by a ninth grader which was mentioned in the article in my previous entry posted today.  My heart ached as I read it.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=227112

教改總體檢／為何是蒼白的十五歲？一個國三生的告白

【聯合晚報╱教改體檢總論壇提供】2009/12/17

Complaints about the Educational Reform

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=227152

教改怨與願 蒼白的15歲學得好累

【聯合報╱記者陳智華／台北報導】2009/12/18

Comic Strips for Unit 10 "Fish Cheeks"

This morning in Class 214, 20 minutes before the end of the 2nd period of class, I had the students form pairs and draw a 8-panel comic strip for Unit 10. One in the pair is the cartoonist and the other the "director." The "director" has to give instructions in English, telling the cartoonist what to draw in each panel. The class did this happily and finished their work in 20 minutes.

Expanding Vocabulary Through Reading

The following article in today's UDN offers good tips not only on how to expand our vocabulary but also on how to select appropriate English reading material to read.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=226760