Saturday 02 October, 2010: A1, A2, and A3 classes

A1 Class:
This was our first discussion class.  We talked about the questions in the post "Discussion Topics: Who are you?".  Some vocabulary that came up in this class was:

crush --> when you really like a boy or girl and think they are very good-looking and very wonderful
siblings --> your brothers and sisters
only child --> a person who has no siblings
baby brother/sister --> usually, we can say this about our youngest brother or sister no matter how old he or she is (my baby brother is 26!), but Anu has a baby sister that is literally a baby!
great-grandmother --> Your grandmother's mother
great-great-grandfather --> Your grandfather's grandfather (Beegii's great-great-grandfather is 116 years old-- amazing!)
get along with --> not fight with; be friendly with
see eye to eye --> get along with
faux-hawk --> like a mohawk, but you keep more of your hair and bring it up together in the middle of your head, like this:

Mohawk --> you shave the sides of your head and leave only one strip of hair in the middle (usually, this strip is held up with gel).  Here is a picture of Mr T with his mohawk:

I pity da fool!

A2 Class:
In this class, we answered some questions about our routines and about how we spend our free time.  Here is some of the vocabulary that came up in this lesson:
weekday --> Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday
weekend --> Saturday and Sunday
go to bed --> when you go to sleep for the night
breakfast --> your morning meal
dinner --> your evening meal
work out --> lift weights, do cardio (exercise, in general) at the gym
gym --> fitness centre; where you go to work out (exercise).  Here are some pictures of the gym:

A3 Class:
In this class, we talked about countries, their capital cities, and words for nationalities:
Country --> Capital City --> Nationality
Britain/UK --> London --> British
Japan --> Tokyo --> Japanese
Turkey --> Ankara --> Turkish
Russia --> Moscow --> Russian
Poland --> Warsaw --> Polish
Greece --> Athens --> Greek
Mexico --> Mexico City --> Mexican
Egypt --> Cairo --> Egyptian
USA --> Washington, DC --> American
Mongolia --> Ulaanbaatar --> Mongolian
France --> Paris --> French
Canada --> Ottawa --> Canadian

We also practiced asking and answering the question "Where's [CITY]?"  "It's in [COUNTRY]."
Eg., Where's Athens?  It's in Greece.

Be careful, because the word "in" may be small, but it is VERY IMPORTANT!  If you say "It's Greece." in answer to the question "Where's Athens?", you are saying that Athens = Greece, which does not make much (any) sense and will sound very strange to a native speaker of English.

Vocabulary!

Let's learn twelve new words a week!  That's just two new words each day!  The following words are from McGraw Hill's "400 Essential SAT Words", which means that these are vocabulary words that typical American high school students are expected to know.  See if you already know them; if you don't, try to learn each one.  Try using it in a sentence, in conversation with your friends or with your English teachers.

actuality (N.  Adj--> actual)  The state of being actual or real; truly existing.
On Halloween, the children were so taken by the costumes that they had a difficult time distinguishing between actuality and pretend.

applicable (Adj.  N--> applicability)  Readily usable; practical.
Lorena was not sure that her ideas were applicable to the problem, but she offered them, nevertheless.

authenticity (N.  Adj-->authentic  Adv--> authentically)  The quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine.
Before paying the high price for the Picasso painting, the art dealer had to check the authenticity of the work.

bona fide (Adj)  (1) Authentic and genuine; (2) made and carried out in good faith
(1)  Among the knockoffs in the shoe store, I found an inexpensive pair of bona fide Dr. Martens.
(2) The offer on the farmhouse was a bona fide agreement; the seller and buyer shook hands to secure the deal.

categorical (Adj)  (1) Without exception; absolute and explicit;  (2) of or relating to categories or arrangement or order
(1) Nobody in the room doubted that Samuel was the categorical winner of the Lincoln-Douglas debate.
(2) Sammy was so left-brained, logical, and sequential that no one was surprised when she put all her information in precise, categorical order.

defensible (Adj.  N--> defensibility, defensibleness  Adv--> defensibly)  Justifiable for accuracy
Maria had a defensible position: There was no doubt that she would win the debate.

factual (Adj  N--> factuality  Adv--> factually)  Of the nature of fact; real
Even though the book was a work of fiction, it was full of factual information about that historical era.

genuine (Adj.  N--> genuineness  Adv--> genuinely)  Not counterfeit, but authentic; honest and real; free from hypocrisy or dishonesty; sincere.
My uncle gave me a genuine two-dollar bill for my birthday.

invulnerable (adj.  Adv--> invulnerably  N--> invulnerability)  Impossible to damage or enter; not able to alter the reality
The front door seemed invulnerable; it was made of steel, and it sported seven strong locks as well.

legitimacy (N.  Adv--> legitimately  Adj--> legitimate)  The quality of being legitimate-- authentic, genuine, and according to the law
The painting was suspect, so  the legitimacy of its authenticity was questionable.

materiality (N.  Adj--> material  Adv--> materially)  (1) The state of being material;  (2) Being of real or substantive quality
(1) Esther was so intent on possessing thigns that her friends started questioning her focus on materiality.
(2) In Macbeth, Banquo's ghost appears to Macbeth with such materiality that he is overwhelmed by guil over Banquo's murder.

pragmatic (Adj.  Adv--> pragmatically  N--> pragmatism)  Dealing with facts, reality, and actual occurrences

Aarons insubstantial reasons were not pragmatic, so consequently no one believed him.

Friday 01 October, 2010: Grade 1, 2, 3, and C3 Class

Grade 1:
In this class, we used alphabet flashcards to learn the letters of the alphabet. We focused on the sounds of the letters /a/ and /b/. Some words with the letter /a/ are: apple and ant. Some words with the letter /b/ are: book, bear, banana, bread and butterfly. We also sang the alphabet song.

We also learned the words “yes” and “no”. We practiced saying “yes” while nodding our heads and “no” while shaking our heads. Then we read the story “I have to go” by Robert Munsch, and I had the children nod or shake their heads and say the words when they heard “yes” or “no” in the story.

Grades 2 and 3:
In this class, we reviewed the letters of the alphabet and the sounds that each letter makes. We then practiced sounding out some three letter words. The words we practiced reading were:

bat / bet / bit / bot / but / bag / beg / big / bog / bug

C3 Class:
In this class, we reviewed the vocabulary from last class (friend / school / teacher). We also learned the words parrot and bird. Remember:

A parrot is a bird that talks.

Then, we learned how to ask and answer the question “Who’s that?” We practiced with every child in the class. Eg.,

Who’s that? That’s Ideree!

Wednesday 29 September, 2010: C2, C1, A2, and A3 classes

C2 Class:
We reviewed some countries and nationalities today. The countries and nationalities we reviewed are in the following list:

COUNTRY - NATIONALITY
France - French
Mexico - Mexican
Spain - Spanish
Turkey - Turkish
Greece - Greek
Poland - Polish
USA - American
Britain - British
Mongolia - Mongolian
Russia - Russian
China - Chinese
Canada - Canadian

We also learned when to use the word for the country and when to use the word for the nationality.We use the word for the country after the word FROM:

Example:
I'm from Canada.
My cashmere sweater is from Mongolia.

We use the word for nationality when it comes after the verb BE (am/are/is):

Example:
I'm Canadian.
They are Chinese.
This cashmere is Mongolian.

We can also use the word for nationality when it is describing another word:

Example:
I like French perfume. ['French' is describing "perfume".]
Mongolian cashmere is very good quality. ['Mongolian' is describing "cashmere".]
Chinese food is delicious. ['Chinese' is describing "food".]

!!! Notice that whether we are saying the word for the country or the word for the nationality, they both start with a capital (big) letter.  Eg., She is from Russia.  I like Russian dancing.

C2 class, please make sure that when you are in my class, you are listening to me and doing work for my class, not for another teacher's class!


C1 Class:
In this class, we talked about some family vocabulary:

parents --> your mom and dad
grandparents --> your grandmother and grandfather
niece --> your brother's or sister's daughter
nephew --> your brother's or sister's son
first name --> this is also known as your given name.  It is the name that your friends and family use to call you.
last name --> this is also known as your surname or your family name.  It is the name that is used to link you to other people in the same family (your siblings and your father would have the same last name as you).  It is also used to distinguish you from other people who have the same first name as you.

Then, we did some listening practice, and we finished up with some speaking practice.  We role played the following conversation:

A: Hello, my name's [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME].
B: Oh, hi! I'm [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME].  Nice to meet you!

A2 Class:
In this class, we reviewed the following phrases, which are commonly used to describe jobs:

travel a lot --> travel to many different places for work
work part-time --> work less than 40 hours per week
work full-time -->work 40 hours or more per week
get good salaries --> get paid a lot of money
work outdoors --> work outside
work indoors -->work inside
use a computer --> do your work on a computer
work shifts --> work in blocks of time at various times of the day
work long hours --> work more than eight hours a day, usually ten to twelve hours per day
work 9 to 5 --> start work at 9:00am and finish at 5:00pm, like in Dolly Parton's song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqiwEafCJ74)
start early in the morning --> start work very early in the morning (usually around 6:00am or earlier)
wear a uniform --> everyone at work wears the same clothes to work (similar to a school uniform, but for work)
work with their hands --> use your hands to do some kind of skilled work (working with your hands usually requires the use of some kind of tool)

We also started to learn about the present simple.  We use the present simple to talk about habits and routines (things that you always do) or permanent states (things that will never change, like being short, for example).  I promised a more detailed lesson on the present simple in the next class.

A3 Class:
We reviewed "this" and "that".  We say this for things that are near enough to touch, and we say that for things that are too far away from us for us to touch them easily (usually, we need to point).

Then we talked about the definite article a/an.  We say a if it is before a word that starts with a consonant and we say an if it is before a word that starts with a vowel.

Remember that the vowels are AEIOU(Y) and a consonant is any of the following letters: BCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWX(Y)Z.

Two new vocabulary words we learned are "department store" (in Mongolian, ikh delguur-- don't ask me how I know that!) and "fiddle".  A fiddle is exactly like a violin, except for we say "violin" when we are using it to play classical music (like Beethoven or Mozart), and we say "fiddle" when we are using it to play more folksy/country music.  Here is a link to a youtube video of Canadian musician, Ashley MacIsaac having a stomping good time while playing his fiddle:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tIT8VuZ92c

Then, we talked about how you know more English than you think.  We talked about some words that sound similar in Mongolian and English, and we discovered that French might sound even more similar to Mongolian than English does.  Still, the English words sound pretty similar.  Here is a list of similar-sounding English words that we came up with: cinema / theatre / museum / tea / centre / supermarket / internet / cafe / cafeteria / camp / french fry

We finished the class with a listening excercise in which we had to fill in some blanks.  One important thing to remember (which is something that even many native speakers of English have problems with) is that the word "no" means the opposite of "yes"; the word "now" means "at this very moment (and it sounds different than the word "no" or "know"); and the word "know" refers to knowledge that you already have in your brain.

The listening exercise also turned out to be useful questions and phrases that any non-native speaker of English should know and should never feel ashamed to say.  Here they are:

What's this in English?
How do you say ikh delguur in English?
What does fiddle mean?
I'm sorry, I don't know.
I'm sorry, I don't understand.
Can you repeat that, please?
Can you speak more slowly, please?

Thursday 30 September, 2010: A2, A1, C1, C2, B1, B2

A2 Class:
In this class, we reviewed the present simple in sentences and then we learned how to make questions from a sentence in the simple present.

I am
You are
He/She/It is
We are
You are
They are

I do
You do
He/She/It does
We do
You do
They do

I eat
You eat
He/She/It eats
We eat
You eat
They eat

I know
You know
He/She/It knows
We know
You know
They know

NB. Usually, the all the verbs in the simple present take the same form (the most basic form of the verb), except when the subject is he, she, or it. In that case, we usually add an -s to the end of the verb (some verbs add -es, like "does" and the verb BE changes completely to "is").

To make a question that has a BE verb, we simply change the order of the subject and the verb.
Example: It is exciting. --> Is it exciting?

To make a question that has other verbs, all we have to do is add the verb DO to the beginning of the sentence, but make sure that DO agrees with the subject (so if the subject is he, she, it, or any one person's name, we will start our question with does.)
Example1: You like Mongolia. --> Do you like Mongolia?
Example2: He eats buuz every day. --> Does he eat buuz every day?

Homework: Re-read the article "Sink your teeth into this" and make two more question and answer pairs about the article (like what we did at the end of class).


A1 Class:
In this class, we read two different advertisements (one for a film and one for a commercial), and then we talked about character adjectives:

cruel --> mean
greedy --> want to have everything for oneself
vain --> think excessively about your looks
selfish --> only think about oneself
optimistic --> always think positive thoughts
caring --> care about other people
sensitive --> care about how your actions might affect other people
honest --> tell the truth
friendly --> kind to all people
patient --> able to wait a long time
polite --> respectful; have good manners
generous --> give a lot (of time, things, money, etc)
easy-going --> do not get angry or upset; everything is always ok
impatient --> the opposite of patient
bossy --> always tell other people what to do
rude --> not polite; have bad manners

We also talked about the difference between a film and a commercial.  Remember that a film is long and interesting and has a plot and commercials are usually trying to make you want to buy something or think a certain way.  Here is a youtube video of one of my favourite commercials for Old Spice (a deodorant for men): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

We also learned how to form the opposite of each of the character adjectives by adding dis-, im-/in-, or un-.

Homework: Please take a look at the questions in my post "Discussion Questions for A1: Who are you" and think about your own answers for the questions.


C1 Class:
In this class, we learned the present simple form of the verb, BE, and then we learned how to make questions with the verb BE. We also talked about countries and nationalities, and we finished by playing a nationality guessing game.

I am
You are
He is
She is
It is
A horse is
John is
We are
You are
They are
Blake and John are
Mom and I are

To make a question, we have to switch the order of the subject and the verb BE:
Ex. Am I?
Are you?
Is he?
etc.

Then, we practiced asking and answering BE questions, for example, "Is he from Poland? No, he isn't. He's from the UK.  He's British." or "Are they from Italy?  Yes, they are.  They're Italian."

C2 Class:
In this class, we learned the present simple in its positive and negative forms, and we also learned the shortened forms.  Then, we learned how to ask questions using the verb BE.

Positive --> Positive Shortened --> Negative --> Negative Shortened --> Question
I am --> I'm --> I am not --> I'm not --> Am I?
You are --> You're --> You are not --> You're not / You aren't --> Are you?
He is --> He's --> He is not --> He's not / He isn't --> Is he?
She is --> She's --> She is not --> She's not / She isn't --> Is she?
It is --> It's --> It is not --> It's not / It isn't --> Is it?
We are --> We're --> We are not --> We're not / We aren't --> Are we?
You are --> You're --> You are not --> You're not / You aren't --> Are you?
They are --> They're --> They are not --> They're not / They aren't --> Are they?

Note:  Even though you can say "aren't" and "isn't", you can NOT say "I amn't".  This is not allowed in English.  It's one of those weird rules that you will just have to memorise.

After we learned all these forms of the verb BE, we practiced asking and answering questions about nationalities, for example "Is she Polish?  No, she isn't.  She's French."

B2 Class:
We started the class by reviewing the colours in English.  Then we reviewed "this" and "that".  We say this for things that are near enough to touch, and we say that for things that are too far away from us for us to touch them easily (usually, we need to point).

Then we talked about the definite article a/an.  We say a if it is before a word that starts with a consonant and we say an if it is before a word that starts with a vowel.

Remember that the vowels are AEIOU(Y) and a consonant is any of the following letters: BCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWX(Y)Z.

Two new vocabulary words we learned are "department store" (in Mongolian, ikh delguur-- don't ask me how I know that!) and "fiddle".  A fiddle is exactly like a violin, except for we say "violin" when we are using it to play classical music (like Beethoven or Mozart), and we say "fiddle" when we are using it to play more folksy/country music.  Here is a link to a youtube video of Canadian musician, Ashley MacIsaac having a stomping good time while playing his fiddle:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tIT8VuZ92c

Then, we talked about how you know more English than you think.  We talked about some words that sound similar in Mongolian and English, and we discovered that French might sound even more similar to Mongolian than English does.  Still, the English words sound pretty similar.  Here is a list of similar-sounding English words that we came up with: cinema / theatre / museum / tea / centre / supermarket / internet / cafe / cafeteria / camp / french fry

B1 Class:
In this class, we reviewed the adjectives we can use to describe the qualities that are necessary to do a job (intelligent, brave, physically fit, etc), and then we learned some phrases that are usually used to describe jobs:
travel a lot --> travel to many different places for work
work part-time --> work less than 40 hours per week
work full-time -->work 40 hours or more per week
get good salaries --> get paid a lot of money
work outdoors --> work outside
work indoors -->work inside
use a computer --> do your work on a computer
work shifts --> work in blocks of time at various times of the day
work long hours --> work more than eight hours a day, usually ten to twelve hours per day
work 9 to 5 --> start work at 9:00am and finish at 5:00pm, like in Dolly Parton's song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqiwEafCJ74)
start early in the morning --> start work very early in the morning (usually around 6:00am or earlier)
wear a uniform --> everyone at work wears the same clothes to work (similar to a school uniform, but for work)
work with their hands --> use your hands to do some kind of skilled work (working with your hands usually requires the use of some kind of tool)

a good website for meanings and sounds

I just thought I would share with you this website.  I like it a lot and I use it pretty often as well.  It's great for English definitions, and there is also an icon which you can click to hear the pronunciation of a word if you're unsure how to pronounce it.  Also, if you don't have a dictionary handy, but you are near a computer, it works great!

www.dictionary.com

Tuesday 28 September, 2010: B2, B1, C3, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b Classes

B2 Class:
In this class, we reviewed and practiced how to give phone numbers. Remember that it sounds more normal to say the first four numbers as single digits and the second four numbers as two bigger numbers, so if your phone number were 9378-6789, you might say "nine nine seven eight sixty-seven eighty-nine".

We also reviewed the difference between -teen numbers and -ty numbers. Remember that if the number ends in "-teen", we pronounce the /t/ as a /t/, but if the number ends in "-ty", we actually pronounce the /t/ as a /d/. So, the number "fifteen" sounds like "fifteen", while the number "fifty" sounds like "fifdy".

We finished by learning about the words “this” and “that”. We say “this” when we are talking about things that are very near or that we can touch. We say “that” when we are talking about things that are far from us or that are too far for us to touch easily.


B1 Class:
We learned about 18 different jobs and then we practiced pronunciation and stress (which syllable we say more loudly or with more force) for each job. Following is a list of the jobs we talked about. The syllable in bold is the stressed syllable.

bank clerk / waiter / lawyer / bus driver / security guard / shop assistant / writer / hairdresser / bodyguard / mechanic / nurse / journalist / pilot / secretary / receptionist / firefighter / graphic designer / teacher

Then, we learned some adjectives to describe these jobs and we practiced making sentences about the jobs using the adjectives.

interesting --> engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity
exciting --> producing excitement; stirring; thrilling
dangerous --> full of danger or risk; causing danger; perilous; risky; hazardous; unsafe; able or likely to cause physical injury
stressful --> full of stress or tension
boring --> dull, tedious, tiresome, not interesting
relaxing --> release from the effects of tension, anxiety
difficult --> not easy
demanding --> requiring or claiming more than is generally felt by others to be due; calling for intensive effort or attention; taxing
tiring --> to reduce or exhaust the strength of, as by exertion; make weary
rewarding --> affording satisfaction or valuable experience; worthwhile

C3 Class:
We practiced the dialogue:

A: Hello, I'm [NAME A]. What's your name?
B: My name is [NAME B].
A: How are you?
B: I'm fine, thanks!
A: Goodbye, [NAME B]!
B: Bye!
A: I'm fine, thanks!

We also learned some new vocabulary: friend / school / teacher / parrot, and we started to learn how to ask the question "Who's that?"

2a and 2b Classes:
We reviewed the second half of the alphabet (Kk-Zz)

Parents of grade 2: Please talk to your children and make sure that they understand the importance of behaving in English class. I want to have a good year teaching your children, and I want your children to have a good year learning English from me, but that is only going to be possible if the children understand that they need to listen while I am trying to teach them.

3a and 3b Classes:
First of all, thank you to all of the grade 3 students for behaving much better today! It was amazing how much better behaved the children were, and I think the classes went much smoother because of it. Let's work on making every class better than the last one! :)

In these classes, we reviewed the alphabet sounds, and we practiced matching uppercase letters (ABC) with lowercase letters (abc). 3b class also started to learn how to read three-letter words (such as cat, dog, bat, mom, etc). Both classes started reading the story, "I Have to go!" by Robert Munsch.

Monday 27 September, 2010: A3, A1, B1, and B2 classes

A3 Class:

In this class, we reviewed how to give phone numbers.  If your phone number is something like 9917-5498, I think it sounds a little more normal to give four numbers before the dash (not two big numbers), and then just two numbers after the dash.  For example, for 9917-5498, I would say "nine nine one seven fifty-four ninety-eight".   If your phone number contains a zero (0), instead of saying the word "zero", English speakers often say "oh", since the number zero (0) looks a lot like the letter 'o'.  So, for example, if my phone number is 8875-1408, I would give it as "eight eight seven five, fourteen oh eight".

We also reviewed the differences in pronunciation between -teen and -ty numbers.  Remember that if the number ends in "-teen", we pronounce the /t/ as a /t/, but if the number ends in "-ty", we actually pronounce the /t/ as a /d/.  So, the number "fifteen" sounds like "fifteen", while the number "fifty" sounds like "fifdy".

We also reviewed the colours: blue, red, orange, grey, brown, white, pink, yellow, black, purple, and green.

We practiced putting the colours in alphabetical order.  Remember that "alphabetical order" means the order that letters come in in the alphabet (the ABCs).  If we have two words that start with the letter 'b', we have to look at the word that comes after the 'b' to decide which goes first in alphabetical order, so, for example, "blue" comes before "brown" in alphabetical order.  If we have two words that start with the same two letters (like 'bl'), then we have to look at the third letter to decide which word to put first, so "black" comes before "blue" in alphabetical order.

We finished the class by learning the words "this" and "that".  We say "this" for things that are very near to us (if we can touch it, for example), and we say "that" for things that are very far from us (so it is necessary for us to point at it).

Vocabulary:  We also learned the word "hoodie".  A hoodie is a sweatshirt that has a hood on it, like this:

A1 Class:

In A1 class, we re-read the article "Larger than Life" and talked about the comprehension questions. on the following page.  We also talked about how to pronounce the letter /v/ (remember to bite your bottom lip as you make this sound!) and I promised that I would post some tongue twisters for practice in making this sound.  I have done this in a separate post, so please check it out!

We finished the class by reading the children's story "The Paper Bag Princess" by the Canadian author, Robert Munsch.  The story is about a beautiful princess whose castle and clothes are destroyed by a dragon who also kidnaps her boyfriend, the prince.  The pincess sets off to rescue the prince, and she does so by outsmarting the dragon.  When she finally rescues her boyfriend, he is displeased because her hair is tangled, she is dirty, and she is just wearing a paper bag, and he tells her to come back another day.  She decides that even though he is very handsome and he is a prince, that he is not a nice guy and she doesn't want to marry him, after all.  I think this is a wonderful story for all girls of any age, from any culture.  Oh yeah, and I think it would be a wonderful Halloween costume, if the weather were more agreeable!  :)

B1 Class:

In this class, we re-read the article "Sink your Teeth into this" and then we talked about jobs that we wanted to have when we grow up.  Then, we learned some adjectives to describe these jobs.  The adjectives we learned were:

interesting --> engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity
exciting --> producing excitement; stirring; thrilling
dangerous --> full of danger or risk; causing danger; perilous; risky; hazardous; unsafe; able or likely to cause physical injury

stressful --> full of stress or tension
boring --> dull, tedious, tiresome, not interesting
relaxing --> release from the effects of tension, anxiety
difficult --> not easy
demanding --> requiring or claiming more than is generally felt by others to be due; calling for intensive effort or attention; taxing
tiring --> to reduce or exhaust the strength of, as by exertion; make weary
rewarding --> affording satisfaction or valuable experience; worthwhile

We spent the remainder of class using these adjectives to talk about our dream jobs.

B2 Class:

In this class we reviewed the aphabet and numbers.  We practiced the difference in pronunciation between the -teen numbers and the -ty numbers.  Remember that if the number ends in "-teen", we pronounce the /t/ as a /t/, but if the number ends in "-ty", we actually pronounce the /t/ as a /d/.  So, the number "fifteen" sounds like "fifteen", while the number "fifty" sounds like "fifdy".  We also started to practice giving out phone numbers.

How to make the /v/ sound (and some tongue twisters for practice)

I hear many Mongolians pronounce /v/ as /w/, but in English, these are two different sounds. To make the v-sound, we have to bite our bottom lip as we breathe out. You might feel silly at first, but I promise you that this is the only way to make this sound and this is what English speakers do (whether they realise it or not). Next time you have class with me (or next time you have the chance to speak with another native speaker of English), watch my lips, and you will see that I often bite the bottom lip as I make the /v/ or /f/ sounds. Here are some tongue twisters to help you practice this sound (the last three are particularly good practice, as they contain both the /v/ and the /w/ sounds):

Vinny visits Vincent in his van.

Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.

Vincent the very vivacious vacuuming vampire visited Victor Von Viking the vegetarian veterinarian vacationing in Valentine Valley.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy,
Was he?

The very wary warrior veered violently where the violets wound very wickedly.

Wilma virtually wishes every weekend for very wild weather.

Which very evil witch vowed to woo the very wonderful Prince VanWaverly?

Discussion Topics for A1, A2, and B1 class for Week 1: Who are you?

1) How would you describe your looks?
2) What do you like most about your appearance? What do you dislike the most?
3) Describe your parents.
4) How old are your siblings?
5) Do you get along with your brothers and/or sisters?
6) Who is your oldest living relative? How often do you see him or her?
7) Do you have a pet? What kind? What is its name?
8) What would you most like to do? (What is your dream?)
9) What job do you want to have when you grow up?
10) Do you have a best friend? What do you have in common? What do you do together?
11) What are your other friends like?
12) What is the ideal mate, in your opinion?
13) What do you look for in a friend? In a sweetheart?
14) Do you have any enemies? Why?
15) Have you ever been in love? What were the circumstances?
16) Have you ever been out on a date? What happened on your first date?
17) Is it important to have a boy/girlfriend? Now, or later on?
18) What do you think makes you "love" someone? Looks? Personality? Brains?
19) If you had three wishes, what would they be?
20) Do you have superstitions? What are they?
21) Do you have an idol? Who, and why do you idolise him or her?
22) What is your idea of God?
23) Do you think girls are different from boys? If so, in what ways?
24) Would you describe yourself as happy or unhappy? Why?
25) When you have a problem, is there someone you can talk to? Who?
26) If you had a lot of money, how would you spend it?
27) How would you describe your personality?
28) What values do you have?
29) Do you want to go to college or get a job or get married after you graduate?
30) What is your attitude toward life?
31) What do you think about people your age who smoke? Drink?
32) How will you contribute to your community? Do you? Should you?