Here is a link to the PDF file for this weeks news reading material. Also, please feel free to bring any other materials you want help with, or think is interesting.
Email Writing Exercises
This week we will discuss and practice writing email for business. Writing can be difficult, but also business email is often written informally just like speaking to someone. Of course this depends on who you are sending an email to. Also, the lessons from previous weeks can also be used when writing email. For example, being assertive when writing can help to achieve your goals faster. Clear language and firm statements of your needs can make the communication process go faster. On the other hand, when communicating bad news, or communicating with external clients (outside your company), using softer language can help to sound more caring and professional.
Here are some links to Email writing exercises:
Email writing exercises for group English class:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/CEO/Email.pdf
British Council ESL Business Writing Lessons
http://www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-lesson-downloads-business-writing-homepage.htm
Email Writing for ESL students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDkLz0RS_PU
Business email – writing an internal request
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDbNB9Gmeeg
Business email – writing an external request
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1rBr2BM5d0
This week Conversation class – Dot Com Bubble Again?
Our saturday afternoon conversation topic material is here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/Ridley/Facebook%20Inc%20news%20A%20Little%20Dot%20Com%20Deja%20Vu%20-%20Seeking%20Alpha.pdf
As we talked about before, the “Dot com bubble” was a stock market crash, or “correction” in the late 90’s when many internet companies were losing money and going bankrupt. One analyst seems to think that Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp represents a similar trend in internet companies today. I disagree, but we will talk about it in class.
The Standard Form for Essay Writing on TOEFL
The link below is to download a simple example of an essay. This sample essay outlines the most effective form to use in the essay writing section of the TOEFL.
When you read the essay, notice that the end of the introduction paragraph is the statement of the thesis, and the first sentence of the conclusion paragraph is the thesis statement again. In between the introduction paragraph and the conclusion paragraph are three or four topic paragraphs that support the argument of your thesis.
It is important that you practice brainstorming your essay outline so that you can easily create an outline within 5 minutes of reading the topic question. In the writing class we will practice creating effective outlines quickly, what to do when you are stuck on a particular question, and how to deal with some problems that arise when you are forming your outline.
Here is the template that you should use when brainstorming your essay for TOEFL or any short academic essay for that matter:
Thesis:
Topic 1:
Topic 2:
Topic 3:
Topic 4:
For example, if you are given a writing question such as the following:
4) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All students should be required to study art and music in secondary school. Use specific reasons to support your answer.
You should brainstorm an outline such as this:
Thesis: I disagree that students should be forced to study art and music in secondary school.
Topic 1: High-school students are old enough to make decisions regarding their own future.
Topic 2: Art and music skills can be learned outside of the classroom, therefore, students still have a way to learn these subjects.
Topic 3: Many student will not require these skills in their future careers. Forcing them to study these subjects will essentially waste their time and efforts.
Topic 4: Some of the best artists and musicians are self taught.
The next step after creating your outline is to expand your outline into the essay itself. That can also be accomplished by using a simple formula. This means that writing for the TOEFL portion of the essay can be made easy, getting a high score will be no problem. Just follow the simple rules!
Download the sample essay which outlines the form below:
http://tinyurl.com/klzhn8h
Financial News Reading – Facebook and Linkedin
Last week we talked about Facebook and Linkedin. Both are social network companies, but there are significant differences. For example, Linkedin has an older mostly professional user group, while Facebook is larger but more diversified. Here are some more reading materials related to those companies. Please note any difficult vocabulary and feel free to ask me in class.
Is it Time to Sell Facebook and Buy Linkedin?
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/Ridley/NewsLessons/Is%20It%20Time%20To%20Sell%20Facebook%20And%20Buy%20LinkedIn%3F%20-%20Seeking%20Alpha.pdf
Finding a Bottom Down 20%
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/Ridley/NewsLessons/Finding%20A%20Bottom%20Down%2020%25%20-%20Seeking%20Alpha.pdf
Video and quiz – TED Sexual Determination
Check out the video and quiz at this link:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/sex-determination-more-complicated-than-you-thought#review
The video is very interesting because you can see how many species are different when it comes to what determines the sex of their offspring. WARNING: The video listening level is advanced level. Try the quiz below the video to see how well you understand the video contents!
Movie Genre Crossword
Here is a crossword for you to practice your movie genre vocabulary. If you try and have any questions, just ask me for help!
http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/cinema/film-genres-crossword.html
TOEFL Writing Task
Here are some tips for writing TOEFL from the website:
http://www.manhattaneliteprep.com/toefl-books-tips-writing-advice/
- Don’t waste precious time obsessing over introductions and conclusions, keep them brief and focus mainly on your body paragraphs
- Devote a small amount of time to brainstorm and plan your essay, 3-5 minutes maximum
- Remember that in addition to details and examples, you will also be graded on organization and coherence
- Practice at home by doing quick five minute outlines of TOEFL writing topics
Here is a great video about brainstorming for the writing question before you write it. This will help you to write coherently and in an organized manner:
The following links will also give some advice for brainstorming and writing for TOEFL.
http://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/toefl-essay-brainstorming-824759da424542e98efeebd4f6850f48
This week Conversation Class
This week we will talk about Canada. Here is a pdf file for my presentation about life in Canada:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/IntroToCanada-3.pdf
This week conversation class
Sorry I posted this so late. Here are the worksheets for this week’s conversation class.
The Emotions of Musical Keys:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/EmotionsofMusic.pdf
Writing a Resume:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/The%20Basics%20of%20Professional%20Resume%20Writing.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45852891/Resume%20Sections.pdf
Ridley English Blog 