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!