Saturday, March 19, 2011

I've Been Thinking...

        Though none of the students in my class are English language learners, they are all special education students, so they do face a lot of obstacles with their language.  I suppose when I think or talk about the way they speak, I would be focusing more on their speech than their language, but  the two relate very much.  Lately I have just been thinking more about how, with all of their speech deficits, each child seems to have his or her own language. It is so fortunate for these children that they stay with the same teachers for three years, because it has taken us nearly two, to efficiently translate their sounds and words.
        In our Linguistics class, we were talking about how some ESL students are falsely classified, when an actual difficulty with learning the English language is chalked up to be a learning disability.  When I hear people working with my students who are unfamiliar with them and their language, it gives me a chance to see how such problems can arise.  At first meeting, many teachers would have no idea of the  capabilities or intelligence of my students.  Due to their speech/language deficits, a lot of information they are trying to communicate becomes lost in translation, which, over time, can become frustrating and  disheartening, for the students as well as the adults.

obstacles (n)- Something that hinders progress
suppose (v)- To believe something as true
focusing (v)- Concentrating on something
loop (v)- Staying with the same group of people for more than one year
efficiently (adj)- Being successful at something
falsely (adv)- Wrong or misleading
 capabilities (n)- The ability to become affected by a given action

1. The girl was __________ accused of stealing the necklace.
2. All of the ________ of the new iphone are incredible!
3. Some people judge a persons __________solely on their physical appearance.
4. I __________ the hot temperatures melted my chocolate bar.
5.  A special needs person will face more __________ in their life than a typical person.
6. While earning my degree in Psychology I was ___________ on Special Education.
7. It is hard for me to complete the job because I am __________ with the machinery.

Adverb- Part of speech that modifies or qualifies other verbs or clauses.  For example, I use adverbs in my writing when I say, "falsely classified" and "efficiently translate".

Find the adverbs in each sentence
1. That Italian restaurant is famously good.
2. In the race yesterday the yellow car was so much faster than the red one.
3. At the end of Cinderella, she and the prince live happily ever after.
4.  I nervously asked my teacher what material would be on next weeks test.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

22 Hours Later....

      Two years ago, when my cousin and his girlfriend announced to our family that they were in engaged to be married, we were all so happy for them.  They had originally informed us that they would be having a destination wedding in Key West, Florida, which we were all looking forward to (to say the least).  Since then, their plans have changed quite a few times.  Over the summer, they finally decided they would be having three different celebrations in three different countries, as a way to include all of their wishes and desires for their very special day.
      In April, they will be getting married in New York City, followed by a small cocktail hour in Brooklyn.  A week after their New York wedding, the pair will be traveling to Spain so my cousin and his fiance may share the joy with her family who still lives in Malaga.  First, however, and the part I feel is the most interesting, they are kicking it all off with a wedding in Thailand where they will be taking part in a traditional Thai wedding ceremony.  This includes wearing traditional garments, being painted with Henna, and riding atop elephants.  The two merry travelers left yesterday and 22 hours later, they are probably sitting somewhere on a beach receiving back massages, manicures and pedicures for three dollars, while the rest of us are trekking through the 30 mph winds..UGH!


Announced-(v) To state in advance
Engaged- (v) Promised to be married
Married- (adj) Two people who are legally joined as partners
Informed- (adj) Having been given information
Changed- (v) To transform or convert
Decided- (adj) To have determined something
Painted- (adj) Covered with a coating of paint


Interjection- A word added to a sentence to express emotion.  I use an interjection in my posting when I wrote, "...trekking through 30 mph winds...UGH!."  I used UGH! to express annoyance and irritation.


Choose the correct interjection to fit the sentence

1. _____________ thats a beautiful necklace! (WOW, UGH)
2. _____________ put that glass down now! (HEY, HURRAY)
3.____________ I missed a spot when I moped the floor! ( PHEW, OOPS)
4. You're going to wake the baby __________! (YEAH, SHH)