Exams Preparation

Most students view taking final exams as a dreadful experience. They undergo different levels of anxiety, tension and worrying. For centuries, getting and pursuing knowledge has not changed.

A multi-level system is applied where students learn and progress in their educational career.

Exams are used for assessing the students in a competitive arena throughout the system. According to their results, students either move forward to a higher level or repeat their academic year.

So, gentlemen the countdown has begun. Start preparing for your exams. Review, Practice and Clear your doubts.

Writing: Shopping malls / Souks

Every year, more and more shopping malls are being built in the UAE. Do you think that this is a good development? Explain why.

You could support your opinion by writing about:

where people shopped in the past
what people like/do not like about shopping malls
what people like/do not like about small shops or souks
what shopping malls have that old shops do not....
Write about 100 – 150 words.

Finding it difficult to concentrate during Reading?

If you find your mind wanders when you're studying, you may actually be reading too slowly! If you read too slowly your brain has spare capacity, so your thoughts will wander off on a tangent.
This section will introduce you to Speed Reading — simply, reading faster; also to Skimming a text to get a quick overview, and Scanning a text to quickly find relevant information.
You can easily train yourself to read more quickly — if you are willing to practice.
Improving your Reading Speed
Physically, when reading, your eyes move jerkily across a number of "fixation points".
Speed-readers don't try to take in and understand each and every word. They don't "read aloud" in their head.
Speed-readers read in "blocks", thus maximising the number of words they read in any "fixation".
So...
• Relax.
• Focus.
• Use a ruler or index card to guide your eyes down the page of text, line by line. You may feel self-conscious, but it works! Alternatively, just run the end of a pen under each line.
• Move the pen, ruler or card smoothly across/down the page, and force your eyes to keep up.
• Remember, don't fixate on each and every word.
• You will be surprised how much you take in.
Skim Reading
The aim of skim reading is to get the general idea, gist or overview of a text and its content, not to have a detailed understanding of the text.
• Use the Contents page to get an overview.
• Read the first and last sentence of each chapter / section / paragraph to see where the text is going and what it's covering.
Scanning
Scanning is what you do when you read very quickly for a specific piece information. For instance, when looking up a number in a phone book.
Use headings and titles and formatting clues (e.g. bold text, indented quotations) on the page to help you home in on what you're looking for.
Don't try to read every word.

Homonyms, homophones, what the....?

For the record, homonyms and homophones are the same and are defined this way

Homonyms (also called homophones) are words that sound like one another but have different meanings. Some homonyms are spelled the same, like bark (the sound a dog makes) and bark (the outer layer of a tree trunk). Some homonyms are spelled differently, like one (the number) and won (having been victorious).

Now that we've got that out of the way, take a look at this online self-help quiz and see how well you do. Click here on the word "link" to take the quiz.

Informal Letter

Structure of a Personal Letter
1. Date – This is the date when the letter is written
2. Greetings and Name of Recipient – The greeting usually starts with the word ‘Dear’ followed by the given name of the recipient or relationship and it ends with a comma. Two examples are shown: ‘Dear Ronald,’ ‘Dear Uncle,’.
3. Introduction – This is the opening of a letter. It may include greetings like ‘How are you?’. Sometimes, you may refer to a previous letter.
4. Body – This is the main body of the letter. It includes the message that the writer wants to tell the recipient. It is often divided into paragraphs.
5. Closure – This part indicates the letter is going to end. The writer may ask the recipient to reply here.
6. Complimentary Close – This short expression includes a few words on one line. It ends with a comma. Some examples are shown below.
‘Yours sincerely,’ ‘Best regards,’ ‘Love,’
7. Signature – the signature of the writer

Brain Teasers

A brain teaser is a form of puzzle that requires thought to solve. It often requires thinking in unconventional ways with given constraints in mind; sometimes it also involves lateral thinking. Logic puzzles and riddles are specific types of brain teasers.

Here is an example:

Q: Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini, 4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter?

And another example:

Can you figure out what each capital letter stands for in these puzzles?

18 H on a G C

24 H in a D

60 M in an H

26 L in the A

64 S on a C B

52 W in a Y

With a little thought and concentration, you can solve this brain teaser.

Good luck!

(References: www.wikipedia.org, www.superteacherworksheets.com)

Letter Writing: NHPWB Pg 75

Letter Writing:
Informal letter: Giving news.
Write to an English friend. Give news of a recent holiday you had. Say where you went, who with, and what you did. Give some news about what you are doing at the moment, and how your family is.

Formal Letter: Paying a bill and requesting:
A book shop has sent you some books by post, along with the bill. Write to the bookshop enclosing a cheque, and asking for a receipt. Also, a friend has recommended a cookery book called " The Italian Kitchen", but could not remember the author. Ask if the bookshop has this book and can send it to you.
Gentlemen, complete the above letters and send them as attachment via edmodo.

Maths Magic:

Take any four-digit number and reverse it, then take the small number away from the big one. Add the numbers together in the answer, and then add them again to get a single figure. It will ALWAYS work out to be 9!

Gentlemen, come up with your creative - thinking skills. Bring out your ideas, such as the one above, in your journal writing. Enjoy your work!

Things you can do this summer: STARGAZING

Gaze into the night sky and see what you can identify. If you enjoy gazing at the stars, make yourself comfortable on a deckchair and gaze up to the sky in comfort and settle down for a while. It takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust properly to the darkness.

You'll be amazed at the things that you can see.

Gentlemen,


Time your current reading speed.


It is important to find out how fast you read now so that you can track your improvement through subsequent timings. Not only will timing help you to tell if you're improving, but it will also keep you motivated.
• You can break out a book and a stopwatch and either time how long it takes you to read a certain number of words on a page or find out how many words you read in a given amount of time.
• An easier way to time yourself is to take an online reading speed test. http://www.readingsoft.com/
• Many of these have reading comprehension tests, as well, so you can see how well you're understanding what you're reading.
• Regardless of how you decide to time yourself, be sure to read at your normal speed during the timing, and time yourself on a few different pages - the average of your times should approximate your average reading speed.

Some rules are meant to be broken

The rule that head buds or head phones are not allowed in class is one of those rules we will suspend for now because we are going to do a lot more listening of texts in class in the remaining days of this Learning Cycle. Please everyone, bring your headphones to class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and be prepared to listen to a tape segment of either a literary selection and or current events and then answer questions on what you have just heard. We're doing this to prepare you for the listening exam that will be on your English finals next month.

You can only have them out and wearing them when you have been told to do so by me and only on Tuesday and Wednesday of the week. Otherwise they are not allowed in class. If you have any questions, please ask them in class. God willing, see you then!

What is word formation?

There are many word endings(prefixes) and word endings(suffixes) that can be added to a word to change its meaning or its word class.

1. Verb Formation- The endings -ize and -ify can be added to nouns and adjectives to form verbs. eg: legal + ize = legalize, beauty + ify = beautify


2. Adverb Formation- The endings -ly can be added to most adjectives to form adverbs. eg: easy +ly = easily


3. Noun formation- The endings -er, -ment, and -ation can be added to many verbs to form nouns. eg: drive + er = driver, amaze +ment = amazement, admire + ation = admiration


4. Adjective formation- The endings -y, -ic, -ical, -ful, and -less can be added to many nouns to form adjectives. eg: dirt = y = dirty, atom + ic = atomic, pain + ful = painful, wash + able = washable.

For practice, visit the below websites.....

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/wordpower/exam_practice_questions/word_formation/
http://www.bedavaingilizce.com/advanced/wf/wft.htm

Do you want to to pursue a career as an airline pilot?

To know more go to :
http://gulfnews.com/life-style/education/education-q-a-a-career-as-an-airline-pilot-1.795430.

Confused with Vocabulary? Here is a solution!

Just type in the words and receive an explanation.

For example: What is the difference between 'airline accident' and 'airline crash'?

Check it out here:


http://www.helping-you-learn-english.com/vocabulary-definitions.html


You can also view www.really-learn-english.com to expand your search.

ADVERBS:

Adverbs modify verbs. Adverbs tell when, where or how. Many, but not all adverbs, end in "ly". Adverbs of time answer the questions how often or when.

Adverbs of place answer the question where.

Adverbs of manner answer the questions how or in what manner.

Please go to unit 13, page 105 of your NHPSB and complete the tasks on Adverbs.

Gentlemen, Click on the link provided, to practice some additional worksheets on adverbs.

http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/adverbs.htm

Did you know?

Its a Momentous day in UAE football history. Iconic Argentina 'number 10' signs a two year contract to coach the Al Wasl club.

"Al Wasl Sports Club is proud to announce the appointment of Diego Armando Maradona as head coach of Al Wasl Football Club, in a momentous development that will see the football legend lead the team for the next two seasons". Gulf News.

To know more, go to ...http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/momentous-day-in-uae-football-history-1.808811

What do "good readers" do?

Predict/Infer-

Good readers find out what is going to happen next. They figure out things that aren't there.
Here's how to use the Predict/Infer Strategy:
1. Think about the title, the illustrations, and what you have read so far.
2. Tell what you think will happen next-or what you think you will learn. Thinking about what you already know about the subject may help.
3. Try to figure out things the author does not say directly.

Phonics/Decoding:
Good readers sound out words. They cover part of the word to help them see the base word. Use this strategy during reading when you come across a word you don't know.
Here's how to use the Phonics/Decoding Strategy:
1. Look carefully at the word.
2. Look for word parts that you know and think about the sounds for the letters.
3. Blend the sound to read the word.
4. Ask yourself: Is this a word you know?
5. If not, ask yourself. What else can I try?

Listen and Answer

If you were the manager of a company and someone came along and promised you something that could tell you if you or anyone else who worked with you is able to do their job well would you believe them? This is the dilemma one man had to face in the story, 'The Emperor's New Clothes' by Hans Christian Anderson. You can find the link to the podcast here. Such an item would be invaluable, if it was true. What makes this gift priceless is so many people believed in it. To find out what happened listen to the 'cast during class, then answer the 10 comprehension questions. The last one is a question that asks you your opinion about the story and what it means. It will require several sentences to answer and you must copy and paste the answer to question number 10 into the writing submission form here on the G10 English blog. You must write a minimum of 5 sentences in order to answer the last question correctly.

Compound Nouns.....words that go together!

Compound nouns go together, just like a horse and carriage.

ice cream
post office
mailman
chewing gum
screwdriver
doorknob
school bus
airbag
airplane
blackboard
Iceland
wallpaper
grasshopper
seafood
high school
Brother-in-law
walkover

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/List_of_compound_noun#ixzz1LwrlqNZf

Here are links for practice:

http://www.esoeonline.org/main-index/index-exercises/vocabexs/elem/elemcoll2.htm
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/dragflip.asp?filename=kderittecompound

Essays:

Essay questions give you a chance to demonstrate what you have learned. They also provide the opportunity to express your opinion. Although many students think that essay questions are the most difficult, they can be the most fun.
Remember these tips when writing the answer to an essay question.

Think about the answer before you write it. Take time to organize your thoughts so that you can better express yourself.

Write a few rough notes or an outline.

State your answer clearly. Don't forget to write complete sentences.

Review the answer before time runs out, as you could have missed out some words.

Gentlemen, Use the writing tips given above to answer the question that follows:

"What is your favorite type of test? Give reasons to explain your answer. Add it to your journal".

True/False Questions:

True/False tests include several statements.You must read each one carefully to determine if it is right or wrong.




Remember these tips:

Watch for one word in the sentence that can change the statement's meaning from true to false.

Words such as all, none, everybody or nobody should alert you that it may be false.
Always check your answers, if there is time.

So, gentlemen, make sure you read the questions carefully before attempting to do your next test/quiz.

Multiple Choice Questions:

Multiple choice questions are frequently asked on tests.Such questions include three or four possible answers. When answering a multiple choice question, don't forget to read the question carefully.

Then read all the answers that are offered. If you do not know the correct answer, eliminate some of the ones you know are wrong until you have only one left.

Remember these points when taking multiple choice questions during your mid -cycle quiz, this week.

Listen to this!

Audio of some classic English books are available online for you the student to listen to and that means we will incorporate listening tasks into our homework schedule. G10-04 and G10-09 please bookmark this link in your laptops and be prepared, starting the week of May 15 to have at least one homework assignment listening to and answering questions based on selected audio portions from the above link.

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

Gentlemen,

For most people, it is easy to learn to read faster. Your reading rate is often just a matter of habit. But to begin, you may need to try to change some habits and try these tips:
1. Pay attention when you read and read as if it really matters. Most people read in the same way that they watch television, i.e. in an inattentive, passive way. Reading takes effort and you must make the effort.

There are some simple methods that you can use to pay better attention and get more out of your textbook reading time.
"preview" the passage before you actually sit down and read every word.
To do a preview you:
• take 30 to 60 seconds.
• look over the title of the chapter.
• look at all the headings, subheadings and marked, italic or dark print.
• look at any pictures or illustrations, charts or graphs.
• quickly skim over the passage, reading the first and last paragraph and glancing at the first sentence of every other paragraph.
If you do the preview correctly, you should have some very good general ideas and if you have a general idea of what the passage is about before you really read it, you will be able to understand and remember the passage better.

Question
• ---Close the book and ask yourself:
• ---What is the main idea?
• ---What kind of writing is it?
• ---What is the author's purpose?
• When you finally get to the point where you are actually, slowly read the passage, read in a "questioning" manner as if you were searching for something. It sometimes helps if you take the heading or title of a chapter and turn it into a question.
• For example, if the heading of a section in the text is “Abraham Lincoln” take that title and switch it into a question like: "Who was Abraham Lincoln?". Now you have a goal; something to look for; something to find out. When you are goal-oriented, you are more likely to reach the goal. At least you'll remember one thing about the text which you have just read.

G10-09 The need for speed

Which one is faster? Everyone has an opinion about that, so now is the time to express your opinion. Last week we compared two cars, the Bugatti and the Nissan GTR. We looked at several videos and talked about the "options" they both have and which one is faster. Now you get to write all that down. This is an individual assignment and it will be due on Wednesday.

Compare the Bugatti, any version or model, to the Nissan GTR, and say which one you think is faster. You must talk about the engine specifications, like size, horsepower, etc. and other mechanical features of the car that you think make it the faster car. If you think the Bugatti is faster, I don't only want to know that the Bugatti Veyron can go from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds but why it can go that fast! What does it have that makes it accelerate so quickly?

Along with this being a written assignment, if you have any video link you would like to add, THAT WE HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN, please do so. I will screen the video to make sure it's content is ok to show in class and if it is, we'll look and talk about it on Thursday. The assignment length is 250-300 words.

G10-04 don't worry....you'll get the chance to do the same exercise next week so just be patient. G10-09 if you have any questions please ask them in class. Until then, see you there.

G10-04-Climbing Everest

Last week we read about Mt. Everest and the first person to climb it Edmund Hillary, in May, 1953. Since that time, as we read, many people have climbed Everest. This month, May is the only month of the year when people try to climb Mt. Everest and there are several groups of people who are there now trying to reach the top, or summit, the mountain. Your assignment, which will be due on Wednesday is to say how many people have reached the top of Mt. Everest this month. Believe it or not, some have already done it so tell us who they are, where they came from, their nationality and what did they have to say about their experience.

Unfortunately, as we read for our homework assignment, many people are unable to reach the top and some people even die trying. Have there been any accidents or deaths this year of people who were not able to get to the summit of Mt. Everest? If so, tell us about those people as well.

For G10-04 this is a group exercise, which means I want only one paper from each group. It should include the information requested above as well as any illustrations or current video you can get of this year's climbing season. I suggest you work in GoogleDocs to gather this information, because this is strictly an assignment you must do on your own time outside of class. That means you must collaborate or work together but separately on your own schedules.

If you have any questions, please ask them during class. See you then!

Did you know?

Engineering students from across the country built remote controlled planes for first Unmanned Systems Rodeo.
Eisa Al Shamsi prepares his remote-controlled aircraft during the flying competition. The first and second placed teams will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. and Italy.
To know more go to ...http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/sights-soar-high-at-aircraft-competition-1.803435

vo·cab·u·lar·y/vōˈkabyəˌlerē/Noun

Vocabulary is a very important part of learning and improving a language. It is the main component of a language. Words play a huge role.

Here are more words we are working on.

Certainly, reservations, receptionist, reception, wake-up call, pillow, room service, floods, level, lose, beaches, crowded, sun burnt, youth hostel, airport, mountains, invitation, truth, pollution, exploration, explorer, experiments, discovery, succeed, greenhouse effect, expedition

Happy Learning!

Excessive use of the Phone: Advantages and Disadvantages

As important as phones can be in our daily lives, there are some reasons to avoid them entirely.

Do a little research and find ten such reasons which may actually succeed in turning you into an anti-social, handsaw-owning phone avoider..

Write down the advantages and disadvantages of using the Phone and write it in your Journal for today. This will be followed by a debate on the same in class.

SIGNS & NOTICES: Unit 11 pg 93

Guidance signs:These signs provide direction and information at all places.

Safety signs: have one purpose in mind - to keep you safe. Of course, they can't do that by themselves. Whether it's the symbol on the side of a cleaning product, a 'wet surface' sign, or just a series of traffic cones, safety signs are simply there to alert people to danger.
Often signs serve a vital purpose by alerting passers-by to dangers that may not be immediately obvious. The most common form of safety sign is probably those which can be seen on the roads, motorways and lanes of countries around the world.

Gentlemen, Prepare a power point presentation to explain the use of the various signs that one can see at the following places:

• Airport


• School.

Gentlemen,
These are the different strategies you should keep in mind while reading…..

•Use pictures to help yourself.
•Look for smaller words inside longer words.
•Read it out/blend words that you don’t know.
•Break down words into syllables.
•Use full stops and exclamation marks to make sense of what you’re reading.
•Go back and read a word or sentence again if you don’t understand it.
•Listen to what you are reading to see if it makes sense.
• Check that you are right by going back to look carefully at words.
•When you have made a mistake go back and see if you can read it correctly.

I'm sure from today onwards you all will ENJOY READING!

Academic Vocabulary

There's vocabulary and then there's academic vocabulary. Academic vocabulary is what you will need to master during your stay here at ATHS-DXB so let's get started with that, shall we?

Here are common words we all know: answer, build, buy choose, get, help, need, show. Here are their "academic" counterparts: assist, construct, indicate, obtain, purchase, require, respond, select. Can you match the first group to the second group?

Here are some more "academic" vocabulary words for you to consider:
academic, relevant, extract, substitute, retain, item, technique,structure. Your assignment is to find the definition of the 16 academic vocabulary words and be able to use them in a sentence. You will find 8 of those sentences in your edmodo accounts that you must complete with one of the 16 words above. We will have a quiz on all 16 at the end of this week, God willing. See you in class!