ESL job: Nordhausen October 6 through December 14, 2009

[Torsten]

Hi Noel,

Many thanks for your update. Can you please tell me if the group has decided how they are travelling to Leipzig on December 9?

TOEIC listening, photographs: Large elephants

[NoelHolburn]

Hi Torsten,

Yes the group confirm that all is OK for the 9th in Leipzig.

Yesterday, 24th November. We played the anagram game again. We then looked at both the comparative and the superlatives. Then BB page 79 / 80 / 81. We then went further on with the Roald Dahl poem, then the Murphy book page 22 and the BB book page 83. The present passive.Then it was exercises on the comparatives, some internet time, a recipe, analysis and discussion.

[Scott Graham]

Hi Noel,
I hope you and the group are enjoying the remainder of the course.

Could you confirm the groups chosen method of transport for the 9th, it will make it easier to put a plan together.

Best wishes
Scott
_________________
Leipzig Englisch Sprachschule- a little London in Leipzig
http://www.leipzigenglisch.de

[NoelHolburn]

Hi Scott,

Marco has arranged or is arranging for the group to travel by van on the 9th.

All thes best
Noel

[Torsten]

Hi Noel,

Yes of course you can spend as much time on the tenses with the group as they think is good for them. I personally have found that the more theoretical knowledge you have about the tenses the more complicated it gets for you to actually make grammatically correct sentences. You can explain a lot about the tenses you will find that the students still are not able to form simple sentences.

So, yes please do go ahead explaining the tenses again and doing exercises on the simple past, the present simple, the present progressive, the present perfect, etc. trying to get every single student to speak for at least 15 minutes every day.

As a matter of fact, it would be great if you explain a lot of grammar and do a lot of grammar exercises because that's probably what the group really wants. When I'm back next week I'll give them some additional exercises to test their knowledge of grammar.

Best regards,
Torsten

TOEIC listening, photographs: Enjoying a meal

[NoelHolburn]

Hi Torsten, Yes, I couldn´t agree more. Whats the point of knowing all about english grammar if basic sentences are still a problem ! I gave the group the diagram / graph this morning and they found it fascinating - the sheer hierachy of construction and logic they saw before them, and they all expressed deep pleasure in having been given the information, but yes, we still need lots and lots of practice on basic elements of grammar, creating a question, using "do" in a verneinung etc.

Thanks
Noel

[Torsten]

Hi Noel,

Can you please send me a copy of the diagram/graph you gave the group?
Many thanks,
Torsten

TOEIC listening, photographs: A firemen

[NoelHolburn]

Here it was.....

SIMPLE CONTINUOUS

Present i talk i am talking
Past i talked ( saw ) I was talking
Present Pefect I have talked ( seen ) I have been talking
Past Perfect I had talked ( seen ) ( etc with the strong verb ) I had been talking
Future I will talk I will be talking
Future Perfect I will have talked I will have been talking

Copyright - me !

[NoelHolburn]

OH ! That has not come out the way i typed it with the spacing etc !!!

[Torsten]

Noel, you can also continue going through the TOEIC prep materials that Klaus and Peter have copied for the group. We've started with the first full length TOEIC test and there are quite a few questions yet to be discussed. The group already have the materials and you can get a copy from the back of the room where I put them.

TOEIC listening, photographs: A grand piano

[NoelHolburn]

25 November. I gave the overview as above of the 12 tenses, but in full colour highlighting similarities and differences, and with appropriate spacing to make it visually comprehensible. The goup loved this. We then did some supplementary exercises on the present simple and the present continuous. Then followed again the Roald Dhl poem ( we are now near the end of this marathon ! ). We then had another game of pelmanism based on unfamiliar new words in the poem. Then followed the Business Basics book page 86. Then followed more exercises on the tenses covered this morning. Finally we finished with internet time.

Today, 26th, we spent the morning on a lot of hand written exercises by me on how to make a question, how to use "do/doesn´t/don´t, and more on "much many some any". The director of schachtbau called in to the class this morning, and if my german was good enough to understand him correctly, he said that as far as he was concerned,the main point of the lessons was not to pass exams, but to be able to get around and make basic conversation / requests in english while either in engliand or speaking to english people. As he said, you cannot use the phrase "I walk my dog in the park every morning" at the bus station.

The main jist of what he was saying was simply that spoken skills are far more valuable than written.

[NoelHolburn]

Most of today was spent on the hand written supplementary exercises i wrote myself last night. These i had to produce because we had already exhausted all materials in the books. They covered grammar points we had already covered. We finished with another recipe ( Steak in Orange sauce ) and then internet time.

[Torsten]

Hi Noel,

Thanks a lot for your update and all your refreshing new ideas and exercises. Can you please tell where you are now in the Business Basics book? Also, if possible please introduce the three conditionals giving the group an overview of the structures along with examples, exercises and games.

Regards,
Torsten

TOEIC listening, photographs: Loading the car

[NoelHolburn]

WOW ! The conditionals - one of my favourites ! Sure ! No problem. It may be a challenge for the group, but yes, I´d love to do that !

Just to let you know. The group are on the brink of wanting to cancel Leipzig on December 9th. It all started yesterday with Marco complaining that with the distance etc and with the group getting back late etc, that he would lose income on the driving lessons he gives. Two others in the group were also not keen on the idea anyway. They all had a big discussion about it this morning and it was decided by 3 to 2 to cancel the day in Leipzig altogether. However, right at the last moment, Melanie turned up and the matter was revoted, but then it was 3 against 3. So the issue is still hanging in the balance for future discussion.

[NoelHolburn]

What is "on the table" now is possibly converting the Leipzig day to a day in Erfurt where the travel would be a lot less etc. The feeling seems to be that its either Erfurt or not at all !