Workshops L2 L3 MAG & Reinforced L1

Yesterday in class, I had groups 4A, 6, and 3B.

In all groups, I asked students to give me examples of questions that are frequently asked in job interviews. The idea is that when preparing for an interview, you should try to think of the types of questions you will be asked, and prepare your answers in advance. This way you will be much more confident when it comes to the actual interview, and more comfortable with answers you have already practices reciting, especially if you ever have to do an interview in your second language of English. After the students gave me their questions, I read off this list of commonly asked interview questions. In some classes I gave additional CV advice. I also in some classes discussed using career building websites like LinkedIn.fr or .com to post your CV in French and English, and using facebook applications like BeKnown to build an online presence. Most employers these days will Google prospective employees, and it is a good sign to have an additional online presence other than facebook. I also advise students to start blogs about travel or something else they are interested in. It's good to have a good online presence, and will only become more important in the future.

In the Group 6 class, I also spent the last few minutes of class giving a basic overview of the United States geographically speaking, with a brief overview of our history as a country. I described the regions of the United States, and what brings tourists to each region. I additionally discussed travel across the United States. Many people believe that we use planes more to travel, however, travel is always quite expensive because things are much farther apart. I discussed the difference between using planes contrary to cars, where you can enjoy the country side, but that is takes much longer to travel from place to place by car, and can cost as much with the cost of gasoline. Our highways and roads are the easiest way to travel. I discussed the use of buses (autocars) that can be much cheaper than using trains. In the 1960s and 70s, we got rid of many train lines, or abandoned the train stations and tracks, and instead built roads and in some cases paved over the old train tracks, especially in the Northeast, where we had already a lot of well developed areas. Here is a list of some links to websites for different travel modes in the U.S.

Southwest - not exactly Ryanair, but a discount domestic flight company.

Amtrak - an expensive Train service that travels between States.

MTA - Manhattan Transit Authority - Here is an example of a city transit system - that also extends in the surrounding areas. For example, trains also leave New York City and go into the surrounding areas, much like the RER.

Greyhound Lines - A bus company that goes between most major cities in the U.S.

Megabus - A discount bus service, also available in the U.K. and Canada.

Boltbus - additional discount bus service.

Reinforced English L1

Yesterday in class, we discussed asking questions. I asked each student to think of a question that wasn't, "Where do you come from?" or "How old are you?" and to try and think of questions with more interesting responses. I gave the example of my favorite question of all time, "If you were an animal which one would you be and why?" This excercise is to help students get better at thinking and asking questions in English, but also to make sure the questions are being asked correctly. Sometimes the grammar is correct, and English speakers can understand the question, but it is not phrased as we ourselves would ask the question. Introductory questioning is a valuable asset to know perfectly.

I also presented the irregular verbs rap, to give an idea of how many irregular verbs there are in English. Homework is to check out out the post I have on creating a CV in English and bringing it to class next week, which will be at 17h in salle 508.

Speed Dating Profile & Quetions

I thought this had already been posted. My apologies.

Male Example: REX

You are in your thirties but you don’t want to settle down yet. You take great care about your appearance. You like sports and action films. You work for an advertising agency. You like going to the pub, restaurants and the cinema. You smoke 20 cigarettes per day, but don’t admit to it easily.

Female Example : SANDRA

You are 25 years old , but you find men of your own age immature. You like going to the cinema and theatre. You do amateur dramatics and are attracted to outgoing (extrovert) men. You hate smoking.

Now create your profile card. You can create an imaginary person, or base the card on yourself. Take a look at the questions that may be asked to help you prepare. Be creative and have fun – but stay professional!

Speed Dating Profile Card

Name:

Hometown/Current town:

Job:

Professional Goals:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Bad Habits (ex: biting fingernails):

What do you want/not want in a partner:

Interesting/strange facts about yourself:

Example Questions

1) What do you do for work? It may reveal the professional status of a person but little about his personality. So move on to another question.
2) Where are you from? - This reveals background. It throws better light on the person.
3) What is the one thing about yourself that you would like me to know? More insight into personality.
4) When was your last relationship and how long did it last? A probing question that will open up the communication.
5) What are you looking for in a relationship? You can both instantly compare whether you match in this area.
6) What do you think is the most important value in a relationship?
7 ) Do you want to marry or have you ever been married? This is important, as it will reveal if both are moving in the same direction - towards or away from marriage.
8) What do you look for in a husband/wife? Try to elicit an honest answer.
9) Do you want/do you have any children? An important question if you are looking for a long-term relationship and your partner is not.
10) What do you do for fun? - This will throw light on whether your leisure activities match. Are you a bookworm and she an outdoorsy person?
11) What are you most proud about? This reveals the basic values of the person - whether he/she values money or adventure/ intellectual pursuits.
12) Is religion important to you? 24x7 living together means understanding on certain basic issues like religious beliefs.
13) Do you follow politics? Are you a Democrat or a Republican? You can spar on your political affiliations.
14) Do you believe in love at first sight? You can decide whether he/she is a romantic person or not.
15) What is your most treasured possession and why? What a person is sentimental about reveals a great deal about his personality. Is it his bike or a locket presented by a sister?
16) What is your favorite month of the year and why? Does he like to sweat it out in summer activities or curl up like a cat in winter?
17) Which is your favorite book/movie? Both of you can discuss why you like a book or a movie - throws further in sight into personality.
18) Which is the last book you read? A conversation starter.
19) Which is the one job in the world that you would love to do? Throws light on likes and dislikes.
20) Which is your favorite music and your favorite singer/band? Do you share musical tastes?
21) Do you like animals/keep pets? Are you going to clash on this issue - one an animal hater, the other a pet lover?
22) How do you spend your spare time? This is important, as it will really help if both love to do the same things in spare time.
23) Where do you see yourself in five years time? Watch out if he has no definite goals for the future and is in a rut. A positive mark for her if she has her life and career planned out positively.
24) If you were an animal in the wild, what would you be? Silly, amusing question to get the laughs.
25) Do you believe a cup is half empty or half full? Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
26) If you could travel back through time, what single mistake would you correct in life? What are the deepest regrets of a person?
27) You have got six months to live, what will you do first? Insight into personality.
28) Is sexual compatibility important to you? Do opinions match?
29) Who was your hero, as a child? Insight into personality.
30) If you won a lottery, how would you spend your millions? Amusing question just for laughs.
31) Which was the first crush you ever had? Reminiscing sentiments.
32) What makes you laugh/cry? Really important and throws light on personality.
33) If you have friends coming over, what would you cook?
34) Describe your perfect holiday. One thinks frozen Alaska, the other sunny Australia.
35) Which T.V. program would you never miss? Do our tastes match?
36) What is the last CD you bought?
37) Are you a morning person or a night person?
38) Would you like to climb a mountain or trek across a desert? We will never agree on holidays.
39) What adjective would a close friend use to describe you? Friendly or idiotic.
40) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
41) Into which personality’s shoes would you like to step for a day? Says a lot about your taste.
42) Who is you favorite actor/actress/celebrity and why?
43) Who is your favorite sportsperson?

44) What is your favorite sporting activity?

45) Which is your favorite genre of movies - comedy/thriller/action?

Level 4 & 5: Wednesday's Notes/Final Info & Review

**UPDATED - An Idiot Abroad Link Monday, 21.11.2011**

Today in class for Levels 4 & 5, we finished reviewing the questions for an article together.

We ended class by watching An Idiot Abroad Season 1, Episode #2 - India.

We will have the final on Wednesday, November 23rd. Please inform me of any scheduling conflicts. Topics covered will include:

• Tourism Marketing Presentation - Various topics, see related blog post.
  
• Internet Vocabulary & Review from the first Quiz
  
• Speed Dating - make sure you are familiar with how to introduce yourself, and ask an introductory question to someone else.
  
• Questions - I'm going to be looking for examples of questions you could ask in a work situation. I will also be looking for questions in response to an article.
  
• Idiot Abroad - be familiar enough with the episode to answer reaction questions about Karl's trip to India.
• Monday, November 21st, we will be discussing the Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who's death marked the start of the Barnes Foundation. This foundation was started to protect his private art collection, which is now valued at over $25 billion.
  

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post them in the comment section.

Mid-November Update

Before the vacation, we had our first Quiz, as well as Presentations. Some of us had a chance to play a version of Time's Up, a game called Celebrity as well, where we described celebrities or famous people without using their names within a time limit.

On returning from Toussaints, we played Speed Dating. This activity allowed each member of the class to create a dating profile, and have many fake dates in a short period of time. The sample profile and dating questions can be found by searching 'speed dating' within the blog.

Wednesday November 9th, we also had a Questions lesson, in which we discussed commonly asked questions, and responses between a tour guide and their group. A list of these questions and responses follows. Consider which of these questions could be asked in a work environment, or changed to ask in a different work environment, other than tourism. We discussed how the best question in your secondary language should be, 'What is this/that?' This is all you need to know in order to ask for more information about anything!

Tour Guide Responses:
Think about how these can be used in any circumstance.

Do you have a question? Do you have any questions?
I'll try my best to answer your questions.
I don't have the answer to that. I'm afraid (Excuse me, Pardon me) I don't know
Is there something I can help you with?

There are responses which can give you time to think about a response.
That's an interesting question.
Hmm, that's a tough (difficult) question.
I've never been asked that before.
I'm not sure but I can find out for you.

Tourist Questions:
The questions in blue have been changed to be appropriate for any work environment.
Where is the _____ ?
What is that over there?
How long has ______ been here?
Where are we going now?
Where are the bathrooms/ restrooms/ toilets? Where is the ladies'/ mens' room?
What time is ______ open until? When does the museum close? What are your hours?
Which ______ do you recommend?
Where's the best place to buy ______?
Is there something cheaper? Will I get a discount?
What else is there to do here? What else can I do?

Tour Guide Explaining Rules or Etiquette
It is forbidden to take photos.
Please meet back here in an hour.

What are the cultural differences here?
Are there any rules to follow while visiting?

It is customary to tip servers and bartenders in the United States.
Although the trip is all-inclusive, it does not included alcoholic beverages.
In this region, we bow instead of shaking hands.

Today, Monday, November 14th we did an activity in which we read fellow classmates articles, and then came up with questions to ask our partner about the article they chose. We will finish this activity on Wednesday.

I used an article, about a retrospective Exposition of Diane Arbus at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, from the New York Tmes as an example, with the following questions:

Where is Diane Arbus from ?
What is she famous for?
Where can I see her photographs, and how do I get there?
What is her subject matter?
What makes this show different from others?
How much will it cost to enter?
What do you think of the show?

The final for this year will be on Wednesday, the 23rd of November. It will feature a short review of the first Quiz, as well as questions about the Presentations, and include topics from Speed Dating, the Questions lesson, and the video lesson we will have on Wednesday this week.

Who's been where?

Where have you been?
There is more than one way to ask this question.

Where have you traveled to?
Where have you lived?
What countries/cities have you visited?
Where are you from?
What’s your favorite place you have visited?
Where is the worst place you have spent vacation?

More questions...

How many times have you visited this place?
How long did you live in the place?
How long did it take you to get there?
How did you travel there?
Was it expensive?
Would you recommend this place to someone else?
Why were you there, for work or for pleasure?
Where did you stay/live? Did you have an apartment or house? Did you like the neighborhood?
What did you do there in your free time? On weekends?
What did you like to eat there? Did you eat at home or at restaurants?

Where would you like to go?
There is many ways to ask this question as well.

Where is your dream place to travel to?
Where do you plan on visting next?
Where is a place you haven’t been, that you would like to go?

More questions ...
Why do you want to visit… ?
How do you plan on getting there?
Where will you be staying?
How long will you be staying there for? Will you visit more than one city?
How do you plan on getting around once you are there?
What will you visit when you are there? What do you plan on seeing?
Do you prefer traveling for leisure, touristic sites, or adventure?

Fast Food: McDonald's McRib

Here are links to the texts, articles, and websites we used in class.

Solving The McRib Mystery: McDonald's Employees Tell Us What's In The Seasonal Sandwich
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2010/11/mcdonalds_mcrib_sandwich_fast.php

Legends of McRib promotional site from McDonald's with the commercial
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/promotions/mcrib.html

for nutrition facts, click on nutrition
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/full_menu/sandwiches/mcrib.html

Fast Food Info, the photos of the McRib being taken apart and ingredients
http://www.foodfacts.info/mcrib/

Vocabulary -

high fructose corn syrup - condensed syrup made from corn that has high fat and sugar levels that is put into many foods in the US because it is cheap to produce; incredibly bad for your health: cholesterol, heart, weight, and taste buds

daily calorie intake - amount of calories you should consume in one day, varies on your gender, age, and excercise

locator - an online tool or website that allows you to locate a product or store

gastropub - a new trend in American restaurants, organic and locally produced food, ingredients and local, traditional recipes.

grass-fed bed - cows that eat grass, as opposed to cow who eat corn in the US because its cheaper to have more cows, and fatter cows this way

debuted - just a note, the 't' is not pronounced in this word

sticky - usually a substance that affixes to a surface, and is hard to remove

well-versed - well-spoken; someone who speaks very knowledgably and without hestitation

united front - a uniform force, in this case, employees who all act the same


Discussion Questions (Niveau 4 and up):

What did you think when you read the headline?
What springs to your mind when you hear the term 'fast food'?
Do you think fast food is here to stay?
Why do you think it's unhealthy to live near fast food restaurants?
What do you think of fast food restaurants, how often do you eat there?
Has this article made you think again about eating fast food?
What is your favorite kind of fast food?
What is your diet normally like, do you think kids today are growing up with the same diet?
Is it true for your country that there are more fast food restaurants in low-income areas?

Getting to Know Someone - Week One - All Classes

I hope you already know the basic questions in English. (I want to know if you don't!) I hear them on the street in Angers all the time.

" 'ello! 'ow are oo?" correct: Hello. How are you?

This would be the equivalent of me approaching you, and saying, "BonGOUR! Ka Va Been?"

If you are learning a new language, it helps to have the basic pronunciation down first. You must pronounce your h' s in English. Also, pronouncing your th' s will help you to sound less French, and more like an English speaker.

Some simple questions/responses to practice:

Where do you live/come from? I am from... I live in...
How old are you? I am... (age). I am.. (age).. years old.
What do you do? Do you study? Do you work?)
Do you have brothers or/and sisters? Yes, I have... No, I do not..
How do you like it here?
What kind of music/food/movies do you like?
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

Although in a professional setting, you may not get the chance to use these type of questions, I feel they are better for really getting to know someone. Please select a partner, and select 3 - 5 questions to ask your partner.

Questioner: read the question, practice it, and then ask again without looking! Write down your partners response, and make up a second question if you can.
Responder: Respond to each question, and give a reason why.
Presenting: Tell us your partners name, age, and years studying English. Please write 8 other sentences to introduce your partner to the class based on their responses to 3-5 questions.

What did you do this summer?
Have you ever been abroad? in Europe? in the US?
When was your favorite party?
What is your dream car? What color is it?
If you were to die tomorrow, what would you do today? what's your last meal?
What is your biggest fear? the scariest thing you ever experienced?
What is something you want to do before you die?
Where is your dream place to travel to? to live?
What is your dream job?

Vocabulary:
hope - espere
already - déja
correct - corrige
have it down first - expression; to have done it correctly, and first.
switch - changer
dream - rêve, but in this case, de vos rêves, le meilleur chose
die - mourir, avant tu mort.
fear - peur, biggest fear - la plus grand peur
What's - What is (combining non-subject with is, to form one word)
Samantha's class - possesive (subject owns the subject)