Sunday 28 April 2013

ADVANCED writing Class BLOG locations. Semester 1, 2013.

Hello dear class members. Welcome to the beginning of your blogging life. I hope you enjoy this new way of expressing yourself in words. Write freely and openly. Write often, and write deep. Life is all about self expression. Ami http://monopulsw.blogspot.jp/ Jihoon http://jihoonjihoon.blogspot.com Ki http://kimkiwons.blogspot.com Na Seul http://advanced-ns.jp/ Kimiko http://kmgarden.blogspot.com http://ysxxxzyn36.blogspot.jp/ Arisa http://naga-chanseveryday.blogspot.jp http://pb1410.blogspot.jp/ http://py1410.blogspot.jp/ http://zb1124d.blogspot.com

Writing for Communication 1 BLOG locations. Semester One, 2013

Hello to all my writing students. Here are the locations for your classmate blogs. Please read them regularly, and post your comments. Enjoy the process of writing, being read, and sharing feedback. Risa http://risachaaan1109.blogspot.jp/ Maika http://fstmr087.blogspot.jp/ Shunya http://w11012.blogspot.jp/ Kazanari http://butatopia.blogspot.com Nagisa http://ilove-dnangel.blogspot.jp/ Marina http://marinaaa0217.blogspot.jp/ Tetsuro http://es08704w.blogspot.jp/ Sayaka http://honey0214.blogspot.jp/ Ryo http://elle2323.blogspot.jp/ Jin http://Jin0331.blogspot.jp/ Na Seul http://writingforns.blogspot.jp/ Shinyoung http://o1wow1o.blogspot.jp/

Friday 6 April 2012

GRAMMAR one

Grammar Ⅰ with Janelle McNeill
SEMESTER one 2012, 3rd period Wednesday

Welcome to class everybody. Through a safe, fun and self expressive classroom mood, I envision that all students will reignite their English voices in a renewed feeling of possibilty in language. 

I hope to infuse you with a solid groundwork of English grammar that leads to increased confidence for a bilingual identity bold.  

A diagnostic test will be given in the first classes to assess individual level, and witness improvements. There will also be two major tests to assess student competence and achievement. 

Participation in the class blog will be ongoing throughout the semester. Each student is expected to contribute to the class blog. 150 points of your grade is allocated to this component of your learning. Information and hints about this project will be given during class. 

>>IMPORTANT attitudes FOR CLASS
*A curiousity and passion for learning 
*A belief in the limitless potential of your future
*An open, friendly and respectful energy toward your fellow classmates and teacher
*A clear image of yourself as a competent bilingual citizen of the world
*A positive and motivated inner drive to do your very best 

>>Class OUTCOMES

Students will >have a strong foundational base of  purposeful grammar they can use in both communicative tasks and in writing text  >have deepened their knowledge of affirmative and negative question styles >gained powerful awareness that English isnt that difficult  >strengthened their pre-existing English experiences 
 
Students will >be braver in their future encounters in English >be able to conduct a basic conversation in English >have developed strong teamworking skills through class activities >perform better in the initial diagnostic test done once more at the end of term >view their English self with a more optimistic mood 

>>ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
You may earn the following points for your efforts in this class.

*Attendance and Participation  150 points

*Textbook work 150 points

*Online class participation  150 points

*Mid Term Test 200 points

*End of Semester Test 350 points

>>GRADING 

[A] 900-1000 points,  [B] 800-899 points,  [C] 700-799,  
[D] 600-699,  [F] 599 and below
Which grade will you aim for? Let's decide now on Day one!
 
>>ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY
We only have 15 classes together, so it is vital you are in every class participating with your complete powers switched on!
Penalties will apply for late arrivals, and unexplained absences. If you have reasons for missing a class, email me before the lesson to explain.

20 minutes late = LATE
3 x LATE arrivals = 1 ABSENCE
5 x absences = FAIL

>>TEXTBOOK
Just Grammar Elementary by Jeremy Harmer et al.
Marshall Cavendish ELT 

>>OTHER important TOOLS to make study flow more easily

*Bilingual dictionary (paper or electronic) or I Pad style devices for in class research 
*Desired stationery items for each class (Scrap paper, pens, (Coloured) pencils, highlighter pens, post it notes, etc.)
*A study buddy from class to help with homework, share information, or to just relax with after school
*Access to a computer and printer 

>>CONTACT details
Please post any questions, messages or ideas to our class blog.

http://otemaecreativewritingplatform.blogspot.jp/


For more personal enquiries, please send me an Email directly to:

starlightstarbright66@hotmail.com

Thursday 5 April 2012

English & the Media Ⅰ with Janelle McNeill
Semester ONE,  2012, 4th Period Tuesday

Welcome to class everybody. Welcome to you all.

Using a gentle media literacy framework to guide my teaching, this class will try to develop your critical thinking skills in how you view and participate with various forms of media.  
 
This class will be a student centred, task based learning environment with activities and challenges demanding communicative input and collaboration.  

>>CLASS vision
Be aware of things you see in magazines, on TV, in commercials, and on giant billboards in the city. What is the subliminal message they are trying to persuade you with? What are they really trying to sell you? Take cell phone photos of interesting ones, and bring them to class. Notice any funny use of English out and about? Take a photo! Let's discuss it in class. Take a note of any famous foreign people you see in advertisements. What are they trying to sell? Does it work?

>>IMPORTANT attitudes FOR CLASS
*A curiousity and passion for self expression, making mistakes and asking questions
*An open, friendly and respectful energy toward your fellow classmates and teacher
*A positive and motivated inner drive to complete all tasks well 
*A deeper awareness of how the Japanese media uses English 
 
>>CLASS outcomes
Students may become more aware of   >stereotypes and social clichés  >facts and propaganda  >fact from opinion >analysis from banter  >advertising tricks >consumer vulnerabilities >social value systems  

>>CLASS abilities
Students may >learn to analyze advertising hype >express opinions passionately >gain the ability to interpret and create personal meaning from the various media styles  >become more aware of how the media operates and become a less passive consumer  >develop stronger teamwork skills through group work participation
 
 
>>ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
You may earn the following points for your efforts in this class.

*Attendance and Participation  100 points

*Mini presentations (4 in total)  150 points

*End of Semester Portfolio  200 points

*Pinterest  web board  online  100 points

*Visual  Scrapbook of Inspirational Advertising and Imagery  
(to use as a base for mini presentations)  150 points

*End of Semester Test  300 points

>>GRADING 

[A] 900-1000 points,  [B] 800-899 points,  
[C] 700-799,  [D] 600-699,  [F] 599 and below

Which grade are you going to achieve? Why not decide NOW?

>>ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY
We only have 15 classes together, so it is vital you are in every class participating with your complete powers switched on!
Penalties will apply for late arrivals, and unexplained absences. If you have reasons for missing a class, email me before the lesson to explain.

20 minutes late = LATE
3 x LATE arrivals = 1 ABSENCE
5 x absences = FAIL

>>CLASS projects
Students are required to compile a portfolio of FIVE advertising images (or more), that each relate to the five topics we cover in this class. These images are to be analyzed for their authenticity, wow factor, originality of design, and language appropriateness. Share your own personal opinions, and what this advertisement says to you. There is no right or wrong answer. It is all about interpretation. More discussion in class. 

Students are also encouraged into online media representation by the social networking website Pinterest. Although all in English, the concept is easy, and the execution is fun, creative and extremely stimulating. See the two websites below for more information. Deeper discussions to be had in class.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinterest


http://pinterest.com/

>>TEXTBOOK
There is no set textbook for this class. All materials are teacher created, but collaboration with students will be necessary to collect various forms of media. 

>>OTHER important TOOLS to make study FLOW more easily 
*Bilingual dictionary (paper or electronic) or I Pad style devices for in class research 
*Desired stationery items for each class (Scrap paper, pens, (Coloured) pencils, highlighter pens, post it notes, etc.)
*Class notebook and file for each lesson 
*Access to a computer and printer

Wednesday 4 April 2012

ADVANCED Writing 1 with Janelle McNeill 
Semester ONE 2012, 5th Period Tuesday 

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Are you ready to recreate your vision of self? Can you imagine how much fun it will be to combine words, writing, whimsical, and wonderment into your learning and creative self?

The core of this writing class is weaved with the passions from photographer and teacher Wendy Ewald. She comments how we all have the need to articulate and communicate something relevant about our personal lives, and how photography for writing stimulate each other. I hope the inclusion of a visual literacy component will allow students a greater chance at finding their writer voice in English. 

"Photography offers a language that can draw on the imagination in a way we may never have thought possible" spoke Wendy Ewald. With this idea, I want to combine creative writing challenges with original photos taken by students to feed an intrinsic need to write about something of importance. This will be a collaborative learning experience where students mutually support each other, and share the responsibility of being the teacher. 

Students are required to submit an end of semester Writing Project that reflects the variety of work they have accomplished throughout the class in photographically inspired personal narratives.

Contributing weekly stories of personal significance to self created blogs is also another important component of this class. Having an audience and publishing written work gives meaning to writing, and I believe will inspire great masterpieces.

In addition to contributing to their own blogs for creative expression, students will also have ten alternating writer buddies from class who they correspond with via their blogs, to offer essential feedback and encouragement for their writing and photography. 

Be inspired by the ideas and adventures of others! 
Be dazzled by the expressive narratives and edgy photography! 


>IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR CLASS

*A curiousity and passion for self expression and creating visually interesting artwork through photography and words
*A willingness to believe you have something important and relevant to share
*An open, friendly and respectful energy toward your fellow classmates and teacher in class and online
*Finding a dimension of self that taps into your imaginative and right side of brain intelligence
*Remember that being creative is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world.


>HOLISTIC outcomes

Students may >recognize how much abundance they have in their life  >discover how fun writing really is  >thrive as a blogger more than they expected >take more interest in photography >be more open and honest as writers in English 

Students may also >gain more confidence in using the Internet in English >be less fearful of online learning through blogging >develop more communicative competence in English through ongoing group work in class >strengthen and widen their English grammar and vocabulary 


>ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION

You may earn the following points for your efforts in this class.

*Attendance and Participation  100 points

* In-class writing challenges 150 points

*Visual Catalogue of Inspiration 
(Either done in a hands on scrapbook style, or through an online version like Pin Interest)   100 points

*Personal Blog stories (10; one weekly [or more] ) 200 points

*Weekly commentary on classmate blogs (2 blogs or more each week for 10 weeks) 150 points

*End of Semester Writing Project  200 points

*End of Semester Writing  Project Talk 100  points

>GRADING 

[A] 900-1000 points,  [B] 800-899 points,  
[C] 700-799,  [D] 600-699,  [F] 599 and below

Which grade are you going to strive for? Why not decide NOW?

PLUS+++++

BONUS POINTS can be earned by students in this class intending to study Academic Writing Two in second semester with me. HOW??????

Students can earn bonus points by continuing with their blog writing during the holidays. Not hard at all right? Why not write ten minutes every day after breakfast? Or perhaps you prefer to collect your thoughts online before bed each night? Challenge yourself! Go on!

>>ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY
We only have 15 classes together, so it is vital you are in every class participating with your complete powers switched on!
Penalties will apply for late arrivals, and unexplained absences. If you have reasons for missing a class, email me before the lesson to explain.

20 minutes late = LATE
3 x LATE arrivals = 1 ABSENCE
5 x absences = FAIL

>TEXTBOOK
There is no prescribed textbook for this class. All materials are self created by the teacher, and based loosely on the amazing work by Wendy Ewald called Literacy through Photography. I want to rename it Creative Expression through Photography for this class. 

>RESOURCES
Other TOOLS for your writing excellence
*Large Notebook (lined or plain) for writing exercises in class
*Large plain scrapbook (for your visual catalogue)
*Cell phone or regular style camera for photographing (with SD card)
*Necessary stationery goods (don't forget colour pens/pencils)
*Paper or electronic dictionary (if desired)
*Access to a computer and printer 

>CONTACT details
Students can reach me via the class blog,        

  http://otemaecreativewritingplatform.blogspot.jp/

or through personal Email.

starlightstarbright66@hotmail.com

>EXTRA resources
Have a browse through these images by Wendy and see what you think. Do you prefer colour or back and white? Do they alter how you interpret the images by their tones?

http://www.google.co.jp/search?q=wendy+ewald&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-JZmT6SWPIq1iQf4n9jZBQ&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672


Here is the Literacy through Photography Blog by Wendy Ewald. 

http://literacythroughphotography.wordpress.com/wendy-ewald/