Saying Goodbye

The month is over! It's time to say goodbye. :(
What did you think of the Step Beyond Winter Camp? Was it what you thought it would be? Did you learn a lot? Did you gain confidence? Use this post to say goodbye to me and your classmates. This is your last blog. :(

Wednesday's Assignment

For today's blog, please write about 2 of the 3 following questions. Everyone should answer question #1. Then, you can choose to answer either question 2 or 3. (These questions come from page 151 in your book.)

1) If you could change a plant or animal in some way (for example, make broccoli that tastes like chocolate or a bee that doesn't sting), what would you do?

2) Race horses have long, thin legs that break easily. Some dogs have such flat faces that they cannot breathe right. Why do breeders make animals that have certain traits that might harm them? Do you think this is wrong? Some people want to stop breeders from changing animals in wyas that will harm them. Do you agree or disagree with this idea?

3) With biotechnology, scientists are now able to make clones of sheep, dogs, and many other types of animals. Do you think this is right? What is good about cloning? What is bad about it? Do you think there should be laws against human cloning? Why or why not?

Tuesday's Assignment

Today's blog assignment comes from page 114 in your book: Discussion Question #2-3

Almost every day, there is a natural disaster in the news. It could be a hurricane, a snowstorm, a floor, or an earthquake. What makes you most afraid?

The disasters that we are most likely to remember are those that happen closest to where we live. Can you remember a disaster (fire, plane crash, etc.) that happened near where you live? Tell about it.

And Critical Thinking Question #1: What is the worst weather your country has? What must people do to protect themselves during this kind of weather?

Monday's Assignment

What would you do if you won the lottery? Imagine you had 50,000,000,000,000. Use sequence words (first, next, etc.) and the phrases we talked about today (for example, independent clause and for instance, independent clause). Be creative and make your story interesting!

Weekend Assignment

This is your last weekend *FREE WRITE!* Make it amazing! Share whatever you want, but make sure it's longer and more in depth than your writing during the week. Please post by Saturday at noon. Respond to ALL classmates' postings by Sunday at 8pm.

Thursday's Assignment

Today we read about Louis Braille inventing Braille, a system making it easier for the blind to read. What would you like to invent? Be creative! Tell us about something you would love to have but that doesn't exist yet. What purpose would it serve? Who would it help? Why do we need it? Would it be expensive? Is it for everyone or just a select group? Would it be used worldwide? Who would oppose you?

*Remember: bring two printed blogs to class tomorrow for me to edit over the weekend.

Wednesday's Assignment

In class, we read about "Quinceanera", which is a celebration in most Spanish-speaking countries celebrating a girl's 15th birthday and symbolizing her passage from childhood to adulthood. Do you think teenagers become adults at age 15? Why or why not? In Korean culture, at what age does a girl become an adult? At what age does a boy become an adult? What events signify this change? Do you like it or do you wish it were different? Give examples.

For example, in the US, when teenagers turn 18, they usually graduate from high school, move out of their parents home, work to earn money for themselves, and start university. Although some parents still support their children financially, many do not. In my case, aside from gifts, my parents have not supported me financially since I was 17 years old. I started working when I was 16, and I always worked full-time and went to university full-time. This is not uncommon in the United States. Although it was not easy, I learned important skills like how to prioritize, how to handle my own finances, how to take care of myself, how to budget and spend money wisely, etc. I felt proud of myself for being able to succeed in school and with my own finances. I like being independent. Would you like that kind of system?

Tuesday's Assignment

Are birthdays a big deal in your family? Tell us about your most memorable birthday. Be sure to use a topic sentence and use sequence words (first, next, etc.). Pay attention to your commas.

Monday's Assignment

What is your favorite holiday? Describe it in detail. What do you do? Why? Where? Who are you with? What do you eat? Is it the same every time or different? Why do you enjoy it? Please give detailed examples.

Weekend Assignment

Wow! I just found out that we do not have class tomorrow! That means you have extra time to write an amazing blog, right? ;) This is a new free write. Please share something interesting about yourself. Including pictures is a great way to make your audience interested. Post your incredible entry by 10pm on Friday. Respond to EVERYONE'S blog by Sunday at 11am. Enjoy your weekend! (And be prepared for the quiz on Monday!)

Wednesday's Assignment

Describe your favorite meal. How is it made? What are the ingredients? Where do you like to eat it? With whom? How often do you eat it? Can you make it yourself? Is it expensive? Would you recommend it to a foreigner? Why or why not?

Revise another one of your blogs from last week (just like you handed in today). Hand in the original (which I wrote on), and your new, improved version.

Tuesday's Assignment

1) Revise another one of your blogs from last week (just like you handed in today). Hand in the original (which I wrote on), and your new, improved version.

2) Blog topic for today: Have you gone to a foreign restaurant or eaten a foreign food? Tell us about your experience. Describe it in detail.

Monday's Assignment

What did you do this past weekend? How do you relax? Do the weekends help you feel rested or are you busy? Tell us about a typical weekend for you.

Weekend Assignment

**FREE WRITE!**

Write about whatever you'd like! Make it exciting! Post pictures, video, tell an interesting story, help us get to know you better, etc. This should be longer than your weekday posts and must be posted by noon on Saturday. Remember to comment on EVERYONE'S post by Sunday at 7pm. I'm looking forward to learning more about all of you!

Thursday's Assignment

Yesterday, you wrote about face shapes and their correlation with personality, which is a Chinese belief. Koreans have a similar belief in regards to blood type claiming that blood type is associated with specific personality traits. Do you agree with these generalizations?

Tell us your blood type and what that supposedly says about you. Is it true for you or not?

Assuming that blood types are accurate predictors of personality, which blood type do you want the person you date to have? Why?

Which blood type do you want your teacher to have? Why?

**I'm looking forward to seeing your amazing titles!**

Wednesday's Assignment

What shape is your face? Do the characteristics in the reading accurately describe you? Tell us why or why not.
What about your best friend? What shape is his/her face? What does the book say about his/her personality? Is it true? Give examples.
Tell us about one of your family members. What shape is his/her face? What does the article say about his/her character? Is it accurate? Give examples.
**Remember to give your assignment a title using the rules we discussed in class today.

Tuesday's Assignment

Why are some people smarter than others? Are they born that way? Do they study hard? Does it matter if you are right-handed/left-brained or left-handed/right-brained? Share your opinion and GIVE EXAMPLES.

Erika's Example of Monday's Assignment

Hi! My name is Erika, and I am the professor of this course. I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language for many years and in several countries including: Namibia, Taiwan, Colombia, the US, and now in Korea.

I have been in Korea since August, and I really love living in Seoul. When the weather is nice, I love to explore different neighborhoods in Seoul, but now it's too cold! I live in Hyehwa, and I really like the young energy there. My favorite weekend activity is to sit in a coffee shop with a chai tea latte and a good book.

I love love love to travel. I have traveled to 40-something countries, and I'm going to add Nepal to the list next month. Traveling fascinates me because I love to see how people do things so differently. I hope to travel to Australia soon so that I can say I have visited every continent.

I have three brothers, one sister, and 12 nieces and nephews! Everyone in my family lives in the United States. In fact, they all live within 20km of each other!

I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of the students in the Winter Camp.

Monday's Assignment

Introduce yourself! Tell us your major, where you're from, what you do in your freetime, about your family, your hopes and dreams, etc. Help us get to know you!
**Don't forget to email me your blog address.
**Please write "9 am" in the subject line of the email so I know which class you're in.

Welcome!

Welcome to our class blog! Check this blog daily. Here you will find your writing assignments. Please post your assignments by 8pm every day and respond to 3 other people's posts by 10pm each day.