November 12-16

Good Evening

I am glad to report that I am feeling much better. Below is our outline for this week.

1. Jeopardy-Belize

2. Writing the business letter continued.

I need to add a few comments on the writing assignments that were turned in the last class.

Group Assignment:

1. The topics were relative and interesting.

2. The concept maps were clear and appropriate.

3. The content was acceptable. (some editing was required)

4. The format was unacceptable.

A business letter, despite the reason or intent must follow any of a particular number of formats. I had included on the blog the blocked style in the post of Friday 18th 2012.

Video 1: How to write a Business Letter by Kaitlin Tucker

Video 2: The Key forms of a Business Letter, courtesy writeuppress.com

Please ensure that your letter this week has the appropriate business letter format as the Rubrics will indicate that I will be dedicating 25% of the overall attainable grade to proper formating. Please review the two videos again and remember to edit for grammar, spelling and content as well.

Video 1: How to write a Business Letter by Kaitlin Tucker



Video 2: The Key forms of a Business Letter, courtesy writeuppress.com





Video 3: How to write a business letter courtesy sampleshelps





Details of the lesson:

Class will play the Jeopardy-Belize game. This game can be viewed at:

Jeopardy-Belize The topics are as follows:

Government: Archeological sites: Animals: Plants:

All these topics contain subtopics that should be known to you. The topics and subtopics are to be used to inspire your writing, after which you are to use a concept map to plan your business letter and then compose a letter by the end of class 1. You will then type up that letter in a word processor of your choosing and create an envelope and mail it to me at the following address:

Ms. Annette Cooper
c/o Ms. M. Pech
University of Belize
ACE Program Freetown Road
Belize City
P.O. Box 340

Letters delivered within Belize take you will need to post it no later than Tuesday afternoon if it is to reach me in time.

The deadline for all letters is Friday November 16th, 2012 Any letter not received by this date will receive a 20% deduction for late penalty.

Of course we will discuss all this in class. I look forward to seeing you on Monday.

I am sick :-(

I am so sorry to inform you that I am unable to make it to class today. Meanwhile please use this time to review all that we have done on sentences and fragments and be sure to review the videos posted below. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday November 1st 2012. Again I am sorry for any inconveniences caused by my absence but I am sneezing constantly and I do not want to get you all sick too.

Writing an Essay

This week we will be covering essay writing, with emphasis on expository essays. I have posted three videos that I hope will assist you in understanding the task at hand. In class, we will then create a concept map using Inspiration, after which you will create an expository essay in groups.

On Wednesday you will be required to construct an expository essay of your own. I look forward to an exciting week with you!

Here is video #1 by EducationCommonsRW : video by James esl

Here is video #2 by zontulfilmsltd



Finally here is video #3

Now let is begin:-) Comment below, Let me know which video was most helpful...

Structure of a Business letter

Good evening everyone,

I must admit that your letters that are being submitted are so much better. Good job. Please keep up the good work. I have a few improvements that I would like us to work on .

1. The letter format.

2. Editing your final draft.

I have added 3 videos to guide you with these processes.

Video 1: How to write a Business Letter by Kaitlin Tucker



Video 2: The Key forms of a Business Letter, courtesy writeuppress.com





Video 3: How to write a business letter courtesy sampleshelps





I hope you enjoy the presentations. Feel free to comment on which you liked best. Which was most helpful etc.

The Adjustment Letter

The second letter that you are to write is the letter of adjustment. That is after you have received a letter of complaint. In this case you will respond to your letter of complaint with the adjustment letter.

1. The adjustment letter needs to address the problem.

2. Keep the customer satisfied.

3. Apologize for any inconvenience.

4. Offer something extra if possible for goodwill.

Remember a happy customer will be a returning customer.

To help you with a visual example and to reinforce all that I just said I have included a nice video from samples help.org.uk

Enjoy, I know you will do a great job.

Updated Concept Map for the letter of complaint

This updated version of the concept map is more detailed. I hope it helps.

letters of complaint

I. AUTHORITATIVE

Be clear about what you want and by when.

A. display authority
B. commanding

II. FACTUAL

Ensure that you include all relevant information. Provide documentation/receipt etc.

A. Provide information
1. true
2. reliable

III. CONSTRUCTIVE

Give a practical solution that will be mutually beneficial.

A. be practical
B. be positive

IV. FRIENDLY

Be nice, remember you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Remind them of past good/satisfactory service/merchandise.

A. not hostile
B. kind
C. warm

V. CONCISE

State the facts of the case.
Do not lament and over exaggerate.
Provide accurate, unbiased information.

A. summary
B. Short and to the point
C. compact

What happened?

Provide receipt/serial number/model etc.

What will make ME happy

This is what I need you to do.

We can work this out.

Check out this video by Howcast for a audiovisual version of what you need to do.

Update on assignment on letters of complaint

Good Evening,

The following is a review of your assignment that was discussed at our last class. You are to submit 2 letters.

The first is the letter of complaint.

The second is the letter of adjustment. The adjustment letter should directly respond to your letter of complaint.

I know you all have your individual concept maps that we created in class for you to use when writing your letter. Still I have included an outline and a concept map that I hope will assist those who have not yet submitted their letter via engrade.com

Please remember that all letters are to be submitted via your Engrade account. The deadline has been extended to Tuesday 4:00 p.m.

Outline for letters of complaint

I. AUTHORITATIVE
A. display authority
B. commanding

II. FACTUAL
A. Provide information
1. true
2. reliable

III. CONSTRUCTIVE
A. be practical
B. be positive

IV. FRIENDLY
A. not hostile
B. kind
C. warm

V. CONCISE

A. summary
B. Short and to the point
C. compact

CONCEPT MAP

August 8-12 2012

Good Afternoon,

This week we will continue working with letters of complaint. Please review the following words and be prepared to discuss how they tie into the letter of complaint.

• concise • authoritative • factual • constructive • friendly

October 1-5 2012

Good Afternoon,

The following is a list on all that will be covered this week.

The topic sentence (continued/review),
Paragraph writing (continued/review),

Definitions:

What is a Paragraph?

What are the various types of paragraphs?

The five paragraph essay,

Review samples of memos, letters, resume

Resources:

Page 207 The basic structure of a paragraph

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/paragraph<

http://www.studygs.net/fiveparag.htm

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/fiveparagraph.htm Assignment:

Write a 5 paragraph essay - Topics to be discused in class.

Research the following:

Letter of Complaint Letter of adjustment

Research Due: Wednesday October 03rd 2012

READING ACTIVITY

History is full of cases where dreams have been a pathway to creativity and discovery. A striking example is provided by Dr. Otto Loewi, a pharmacologist and winner of a Nobel prize. Loewi had spent years studying the chemical transmission of nerve impulses. A tremendous breakthrough in his research came when he dreamed of an experiment three nights in a row. The first 2 nights he woke up and scribbled the experiment on a pad. But the next morning, he couldn't tell what the notes meant. On the third night, he got up after having the dream. This time, instead of making notes he went straight to his laboratory and performed the crucial experiment. Loewi later said that if the experiment had occurred to him while awake he would have rejected it.

Loewi's experiment gives some insight into using dreams to produce creative solutions. Inhibitions are reduced during dreaming, which may be especially useful in solving problems that require a fresh point of view.

Being able to take advantage of dreams for problem solving is improved if you "set" yourself before retiring. Before you go to bed, try to think intently about a problem you wish to solve. Steep yourself in the problem by stating it clearly and reviewing all relevant information. Then use the suggestions listed in the previous section to catch your dreams. Although this method is not guaranteed to produce a novel solution or a new insight, it is certain to be an adventure. About half of a group of college students using the method for 1 week recalled a dream that helped them solve a personal problem.

Coon, Dennis. 2004. Introduction to Psychology, 10th Edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth (page 285)

SENTENCE WRITING EXCERCISE

Write ten sentences about any subject—your favorite color, for instance. Keeping your subject matter simple in these sentence writing exercises will make it easier to find your sentence structures later. After you have written your sentences, go back and underline your subjects once and your verbs twice. Use your own paper, and keep all of your sentence writing results in a folder. When you have completed your editing post your paragraph in the comments section of this post and also as a post on your personal Blog.

PARAGRAPH EXERCISE

In the comment section below: Type the subjects in UPPERCASE letters
and type the verbs in lowercase letters

“Al Levis invented the popular snack Slim Jims. Slim Jims are stick-shaped meat snacks. Levis was a high-school dropout but eventually made a fortune from his snack product. Slim Jims originally came in jars full of vinegar. In the 1940s and 50s, bar customers ate Slim Jims with their cocktails. Then Levis’s company offered Slim Jims in individual packages. People ate them on camping trips and at sporting events. Levis sold his invention in the late 1960s but continued his good work. Before his death in March of 2001, Levis donated millions of dollars to worthy causes.”

The least your should know about English Page 68

September 24th-28th 2012

Good Morning,

I am pleased to report that most people did well on the test. Congratulations!

Plans for this week:

As I mentioned in class we will now be moving on to Part 2 of our book and your first assignment is to:

a.) Complete Exercises 1-5 from pages 65-68.
This is due Wednesday September 26th 2012.

b.) You are also to complete blog component which will consist of three posts.

1. Sentence Writing Exercise

2. The Paragraph Exercise

3. The Reading Exercise

Simply post your work as a comment at the bottom of each exercise.

c.) A comprehension exercise will be given as an in class activity at the very start on class. As usual this will be based on the reading activity. This exercise is an excellent opportunity for you to boost your grades so make sure to do your best.

I look forward to an exciting week with you. Prepare.. Prepare.. Prepare!

Test Time :-)

I am so excited about this test later this evening. I am looking forward to some great results. Please be sure to review. (Part 1 of your text; past quizzes and assignments on the following topics.

a. Words commonly misused

b. Parts of speech

c. Contractions and possessives

d. Capitalization

e. Fragments/Sentences/Run on

f. Parallelism

I’ll be in class at 5:00 pm. Come early if you would like to see me.

Do not panic just take your time. You will be fine as long as you have adequately prepared for the test.

Your favorite teacher...

Write a short paragraph (ten to twelve sentences) describing your favorite teacher. Elaborate on the qualities that you feel made him/her your favorite. That teacher may be from any level of your education.

When you are done, go back through the paragraph and BOLD your single-word adjectives and adverbs.

Post your completed paragraph in the comment section below. Please remember to edit prior to posting.

For those who may need a refresher on how to bold click How to bold using Ms Word 2007

Writing component to Reading Activity 3

Reading Activity 3 continued.. After discussing our Reading Activity 3 last week I gave a writing assignment.

You were to write the fourth paragraph to complete the piece.

Please post your paragraph below. Be sure to review your work prior to posting.

Exercise 3 pg 26

The following is Exercise 3 taken from page 26 of your text. Please follow the instructions and post your responses below in the comment box.

“Label the parts of speech above all of the words in the following sentences using the abbreviations n, pro, adj, v, adv, prep, conj, and interj. For clarity’s sake, the sentences here are very brief, and you may ignore the words a, an, and the. Refer back to the definitions and examples of the parts of speech whenever necessary. When in doubt, leave a word unmarked until you check the answers at the back of the book after each set of ten sentences.”

1. Pigeons have a built-in compass in their brains.

2. This compass points them in the right direction as they fly.

3. Recently, pigeon experts in England conducted a study of these birds.

4. The study tracked the flights of certain pigeons for two years.

5. The results were very surprising.

6. Modern pigeons usually ignored their inner compasses.

7. They navigated by other methods instead.

8. The pigeons simply looked down and followed human highways.

9. They remembered roads from previous flights and took the same roads home again.

10. The pigeons even traced the roads’ turns, curves, and roundabouts as they flew.



Source: The Daily Telegraph, February 6, 2004

September 17-21 (TEST)

Happy Independence Day Belize!
This week we will continue working on fragments. I will be returning your papers on the activity that we did on identifying fragments, sentences and run-on sentences. We will then move on to Contractions, Parallel Constriction, Possessives and another Reading Activity.

We have a week full of activities. Please apply yourself and do the practice exercises provided on pages 37-41 and 43-47. Then attempt the Review of contractions and possessives exercise form page 48 of our text, The Least you should know about English, that I have attached below.

REVIEW OF CONTRACTIONS AND POSSESSIVES

Here are two review exercises. First, add the necessary apostrophes to the following sentences. Try to get all the correct answers.

1. Ive never laughed as hard as I did when I saw I Love Lucys chocolate factory episode.

2. The shows storyline is simple but very old-fashioned by todays standards.

3. Lucys husband, Ricky, and Ethels husband, Fred, switch places with their wives.

4. Ricky and Fred cant wait to see what its like to stay home and do all the housework.

5. They think itll be much easier than working to support the family.

6. Lucy and Ethels first step is to visit an employment agency and apply for a job that suits them; they take the employment agents suggestion and start work at a candy factory.

7. After Lucy watches one of the factorys best candy makers in action, Lucy tries to imitate the womans technique of pooling the chocolate, rolling the centers briefly around in it, and ending with a swirl of chocolate on the candies tops.

8. But Lucys candy centers get lost in her pool of chocolate, and she cant find any pieces big enough to deserve a swirl; Ethel hasnt done much better in her area.

9. Eventually, Ethel and Lucy are stationed at the candy wrapping conveyor belt; at first, they do fine, but as its speed increases, they dont know what to do and end up eating as many chocolates as they wrap.

10. Meanwhile, at home, Ricky and Freds experiences havent been any more successful than Lucy and Ethels, and they all decide that its best to switch back again.

Second, add the necessary apostrophes to the following student paragraph.

I consider my friend Alex to be one of the smartest people I know. Alex is a twenty-five-year-old film student at a nearby university. Hes presently in his senior year, but thats still far from the end for Alex. He plans to take full advantage of his universitys resources to learn what he needs before starting his own filmmaking career. He has access to his fellow students talent, his different teachers equipment and experience, and the film schools many contacts. Alex doesnt agree with a lot of the advice he gets from people in the film industry. They try to discourage him sometimes, but he wont let anything distract him from his goal of making great movies. Ive always been impressed by Alexs self-confidence, and its inspired me to believe in myself more than I ever have be

Please note that we will be having a Test on Wednesday. The contents will be all that we have covered to this point. Part 1 of our book. To prepare for your test, please complete the PROGRESS TEST Section that begins on page 54 -60.

Enjoy September 21st 2012.

Be safe and make some time to complete your assignments.

New members Woo Hoo!

I am happy to see we have some new members:-)
However I have not seen any new sentences posted for me to review:-(
Remember to participate, only you can make the class truly interactive.

Reading Activity click Play to listen to this post

Read the following passage taken from Sociology, 4th Edition page 424, then comment on your initial thoughts.

Does it relate to our Belizean society?

State the points you agree with then justify your agreement.

We will discuss the passage further as a class and follow up with a few questions that you will do individually. Be sure you attend class on Wednesday as it is not a holiday and I expect everyone to be present and on time.

_____________________________________________________________ One of the major processes that take place in schools, of course, is that students learn. When they graduate from high school, many can use a computer, write essays with three-part theses, and differentiate equations. In addition to learning specific skills, they also undergo a process of cognitive development wherein their mental skills grow and expand. They learn to think critically, to weigh evidence, to develop independent judgment. The extent to which this development takes place is related to both school and home environments.

An impressive set of studies demonstrates that cognitive development during the school years is enhanced by complex and demanding work without close supervision and by high teacher expectations. Teachers and curricula that furnish this setting produce students who have greater intellectual flexibility and higher achievement test scores. They are also more open to new ideas, less authoritarian, and less prone to blind conformity.

Unfortunately, the availability of these ideal learning conditions varies by students' social class. Studies show that teachers are most demanding when they are of the same social class as their students. The greater the difference between their own social class and that of their pupils, the more rigidly they structure their classrooms and the fewer demands they place on their students. As a result, students learn less when they come from a social class lower than that of their teacher. The social class gap tends to be largest when youngsters are the most disadvantaged, and this process helps to keep them disadvantaged.

Brinkerhoff, David B., White, Lynn K., and Riedmann, Agnes C.1997. Sociology, 4th Edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth (page 424) ____________________________________________________________

Hint! Hint!

I am considering a make-up comprehension activity!

Don't miss your opportunity to earn a few extra points. Notice: Your comprehension Quiz grades have been posted and can be viewed in Engrade.