Your Presentations

For your first presentation, I'd like you to tell the class about your field of work or study. Here are some questions to help guide you:

1.  Why are you choosing/did you choose your major/field of study?
2.  What are the requirements for this major or kind of work? What kind of classes do you need to take? What kind of experience is valuable? Which classes/experiences were, are, or will be the most challenging for you?
3.  What type of job can you get with your major? 
4.  What are some of the challenges that a person in your field faces?

These are just a few questions to get you started. Please feel free to add points that are of interest to you.

Also, you will notice on the schedule that I've posted stage 1 and stage 2 presentations. For stage 1, you will present in front of a small group of students as a rehearsal. They will give you feedback. Then the following day you will give your improved presentation in front of the class.

I will give you more tips on giving and organizing presentations when I see you on Wednesday. Think of stage 1 as your rough draft and stage 2 as your final paper!

I would like you to speak for 8-10 minutes.
Visual aids are great, but do not write full sentences that you read from directly. Your speech has to sound natural and conversational. Don't forget an interesting introduction that will pique our interest in what you have to say, a well-organized body that leads us from point to point, and then an appropriate conclusion that ties up what you've done.

Have a great weekend :D

I hope you had as much fun as I did today on our first Friday Fun Day. I'm really excited to have such great classes this term with such special people. I look forward to getting to know you more.

I will post the schedule for the week as well as the presentation guidelines on Sunday. Right now, you know what to expect next week:
Monday--vocabulary test; reviewing "main ideas" homework
Tuesday--reading test (context clues and main idea)
Wednesday--we'll begin presentations

I have posted your slides as well as some listening homework on the blog. I hope you enjoy both.

For extra practice, you can do the exercises from chapters 1 & 2 at townsendpress.com (like we did in the Call Lab).

The weather forecast is for a lot of rain, so my advice to you is to stay off the roads if possible. When it rains a lot in Houston, there tends to be some flooding. If you are in a car and the water looks too high to pass, TURN AROUND. Otherwise, you'll get water in your car. I know this from personal experience, unfortunately.

Your Powerpoint Slides (updated AGAIN)

List three:
http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/r-svocablist3-14765768

List two:
http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/10-stepslisttwo-14623430

We're missing slides from Omar and Joe

List one:
http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/10stepslistone-14566757


If your slides aren't here (and you've sent them to me), let me know.

If your slides aren't here because you didn't do them yet, I will update this when I receive them.

Presentation Schedule

Wednesday:
Ileana, Omar, Fatimah

Thursday:
Eiman, Bank, Jacky

Friday:
Chune, Kyoung, Vu

Wednesday:
Lin, Shay, Joe, Yo

Thursday:
Luisa, Veronica, Mohammed

Listening Work #2 (due Monday, 10/1)

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Listen to the talk on education and creativity. I want you to do exactly what you did last week--tell me what the main idea is and then respond and share your opinions about what he says.

LCC Attendance Policy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuU0KJpFQHg&feature=youtu.be

Reading Homework

In class today, I told you to do more homework in the main ideas chapter than I had on the schedule. Let's just stick to the schedule, which says exercises 6-9 for tomorrow. You can do the rest over the weekend. Sorry about that.

Can I have ur Facebooks?

You guys can find my Facebook through email: nqv1994@gmail.com
Or you guys can comment the email that you have subscribed to Facebook

Weekly Schedules will be Posted Here

Week Eleven/Twelve:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVLVdKc1hONW4xNEk

Week Nine/Ten:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVQzBHTVVZNFJqNG8

Week Eight:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVdUFiU2ZRNkdvc1E

Week Seven:
 https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVQWZTS0dVcVI3cjA

Week Six:
 https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVQjVqNy1nbmduX1U

Week Five:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVallMWUFSQnkzZ1E

Week Four:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVSXZMY1hPaU0td0U

Week Three:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVRWdRU3ZvUnFRSTQ

Week Two:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVTDRPT05nQ1Q1YzA

SYLLABUS FOR CLASS
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVYXpMQlFGb0haWDQ 

Extra Reading Practice: Careers and Divorce

http://yahoo.match.com/cp.aspx?cpp=/cppp/yahoo/article.html&articleid=12968&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=1368535

I think you might find this article interesting. If so, post a comment. This reading is optional.

Some Great Places to Go in Texas

Here are my recommendations for places to go outside of Houston. Actually, there are several great places to visit in Texas if you want to have some fun.

The first place I recommend is South Padre Island, which is located about 5 hours south of Houston. The beaches are beautiful and my family and I saw lots of dolphins when we took a boat ride there. Usually when you take a tourist boat ride they tell you that you're going to see wildlife but you don't actually see any. Not so in SPI. Also, it's a great place for seafood and for playing in the sun and sand. It doesn't look anything like Galveston. You can trust me as I'm a Floridian who knows her beaches!

The second place my family and I love is Austin because its scenically beautiful and there is so much to do. Austin has wonderful nightlife for those of you who love music. Original bands play nightly on Sixth Street, which is downtown. In fact, a lot of famous bands get their start on Sixth Street. During the daytime there is also a lot to do and see. You can visit and tour the Texas State Capitol and wander around the campus of the University of Texas.

For water activity in Austin, you can go to Zilker Park, where you will find Barton Springs, a natural pool of really, really cold water (icy yet refreshing!) the length of 2 football fields. In addition to the pool, at Barton Springs you will also see lots of college students and other Austinites scantily dressed. If you are thinking about getting a tattoo, you can see many on display there! For children, there is a train ride and playground at Zilker Park as well as an outdoor theater that presents free performances throughout the summer (similar to Houston's Miller Theater). Finally, when you are at Zilker Park, you can rent a canoe or kayak and paddle along Town Lake. It's a true delight.

Another great place to swim in Austin is Lake Travis. The beach is a bit rocky but the temperature of the water is just perfect. You can rent jet skis and boats at various spots along the lake. There is also a water rides park in that area (I forget the name, but you can google "waterpark Austin Lake Travis" to find it, I'm sure). Finally, when in Austin make sure to enjoy some chips and salsa, or an entire meal, at the Oasis restaurant, which overlooks all of Lake Travis. It's quite a sight. You will ask yourself if you are really in Texas.

The last place I recommend to you today is about 45 minutes west of Austin, called Hamilton Pools. From the parking lot, you have to hike a short path and then you arrive in a swimming hole which feels like paradise and looks like Hawaii. The pool extends out from a grotto (like a cave) and you can swim or just float in the cool turquoise water. I visited Hamilton Pools for the first time nearly four years ago--it was the week after Hurricane Ike paid a visit to Houston--and we all agreed that we must return there again soon. The only thing I need to tell you is that you must check to see if the park is open before you go. If there are problems with bacteria levels in the water, they close the park. Here is the website:
http://www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/hamilton_pool.asp

Finally, if you have been to any great places here in the Lone Star state, please share the information with all of us!

Vocabulary Lists

I will post all vocabulary lists for the class here. I will give you a hard copy in class, but if you misplace it or you're absent that day, you know where to go. I will also place a copy of the slides list here (I will explain what this is tomorrow). We'll generally do one list a week, which averages out to about 10 words/day.

List 1:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVbkFsRWRYQjdlc1U 

Slides List 1:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVeERLYkdTTkZNR3c

List 2:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVTkU5R0tVYnVGbFk

Slides List 2:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVN3QwVWp3YVpTZ3c 

List 3:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVeGI4ZEFXNmZRa1U 

Slides List 3:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVWlFZcGVwdFJkaDQ

Tipping Point List 1 (intro/chapter 1)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVeFUwTGdvNUJ4VGM

Tipping Point List 2 (chapter 2 part one)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVNnkydlJDVlRNWmM

Tipping Point List 3 (chapter 2, part 2:  pp.59-89)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVMGdlZ2NINklyb1E

Tipping Point List 4 (chapter 3)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVaHdEM1FkVWxJd0U

Books for the class

Learn to Listen, Listen to Learn 2, by Roni S. Lebauer

Ten Steps to Advancing College Reading Skills, by John Langan

Class schedule tomorrow

8:30-9:00 a.m.  Meet Greg in the bookstore.

If you already have your books, or are getting them somewhere else, then you can skip the bookstore and come straight to class at 9:15.

Class 1:  9:15--10:45
Class 2:  11:00-12:30

Listening Work #1 (due Monday, 9/23)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

After you watch the following video, post your response as a comment. What is the speaker's main argument and do you agree or disagree with what he says?

LCC Soccer Team

There will be a meeting for the LCC soccer team tomorrow (Friday the 21st) at 1pm. It will initially meet somewhere outside the main office. If you are interested in playing, go to the meeting!

Blog Writing #1: Introduce Yourself (due Friday 9/21)

Today each of you briefly introduced yourselves to the class. Now I would like you to tell us some more about yourself in writing.

Here are some questions to consider:

Where are you in life (meaning, what stage)? Did you finish high school? College? Graduate school? Talk about your background, and your professional and personal aspirations. Also, discuss your interests, hobbies, and talents. Feel free to add anything else that you would like to share about yourself with the class.

You should post your writing as a comment to this post. Just click on comment.

This is writing PRACTICE. It does not have to be perfect.

Welcome to the blog

Hello 6A,

The purpose of this blog is threefold. First, it will occasionally be a place for you to do some of your homework assignments. I will also place weekly schedules and vocabulary lists on it so if you're absent on Monday or you misplace (lose) your list, you can replace it easily.

The second purpose for this blog is for us to share useful information (where to go, where to shop, what to do if you have a problem, etc.). You can also use the blog to post items of interest, such as articles, pictures, invitations, etc.

Finally, I will use the blog to post internet links for different activities such as on-line reading and vocabulary practice/quizzes and listening activities.

You should check this blog every few days in order to keep current with the class.

I look forward to a great semester with all of you, and I look forward to "seeing" you on-line,
HC