Practice IELTS writing questions

Go to this link and you'll find heaps and heaps of questions to practice on!!! I also have more questions in the office, so don't be shy, come in and I'll print you off a list!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3008678/ielts-writing-task-2-essay-topics

Dubbing Competition

Watching movies is a great way to practice your English listening (and reading if you use the subtitles).Now it’s your chance to be the movie stars!



How the Contest Works


In a group of 3-4 people, you need to choose a movie clip of around 5-6 minutes. Each person in your group will be a character from the movie and should learn the lines for their role. The contest is then very simple. You play the movie clip in front of an audience, but instead of the real sound, your group provides the actors’ voices.

Prizes!

More bonus marks for taking part, getting to the final and for getting 1st, 2nd or 3rd position in the final competition.

Judging Criteria

1. Fluency 20
2. Pronunciation 20
3. Accuracy 20
4. Team Work 20
5. Entertainment 20
Total 100


The first round will be in the class meetings on May 21 for classes 3 and 4 and May 25 for classes 1 and 2. The final will be on June 1st in classroom 218 Wenfu Building.

Waltzing Matilda.

Below are the words to probably Australia's most well known song, you can try to learnt it if your want. Most Australians can sing at least some of this song! Hope you enjoy listening to it.

The words and the song can be found below. And here the link where you can listen to the mp3.
http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/2-Vers-Macpherson-Paterson.html
(just click the download icon in the top right hand corner of the page.)

This link can explain some of the words below for you.
http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/3-Meanings.html

Oh there once was a swagman who camped in a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling
“Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?”



Chorus



Down come a jumbuck to drink at the billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him it with glee
And he sang as he put him away in the tucker bag
“You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”

Chorus



Down came the Squatter a riding his thoroughbred
Down came policemen–a one, two, and three
“Who's is that jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag?”
“You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”

Chorus



But the swagman he up and jumped in the water hole
Drowning himself by the Coolabah tree,
And his ghost may be heard as it sings by the Billabong,
“Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?“

Chorus



(Chorus)

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda me darling

Who'll come a-waltzing Matlida with me?

A-waltzing Matilda-leave them the water bag

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Swine Flu

Worried about the Swine flu? Here is an updated news story about the swine flu and how it is starting to spread through America, I feel pretty confident that the world in general, and especially China, are quite well prepared for such problems, especially after the Bird flu and SARS before, but of course I'm still a little worried...

Let's hope it is contained as well as possible, prevention is better than cure.

The link below will take you to an article that you can read, or you can listen to the mp3 that is somebody reading the article below.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/auvideo/2009-04/27/content_7719464.htm

Answers for Week ten's Listening Activity.

Interacting with Your Audience –
Listening ANSWERS


1. What do you need to do in the first place?
ANS: Prepare for the discussion

2. What is an essential part of a seminar?
ANS: The discussion (at the end)

3. What should you do before you respond to a question?
ANS: Think about what you're going to say; reflect on it for a moment; don’t rush in to answer.

4. When you are posing questions to the audience, name 2 pieces of advice that are given.
ANS: Repeat it (so that the entire audience knows what you have asked); put them on the board; put them on your PowerPoint slides

5. In the ‘Responding to Difficult Questions’ section, what does the word ‘tactfully’ mean?
A. Quickly B. Loudly C. Politely D. Powerfully
ANS: C. Politely

6. What should you attempt to delay (postpone)?
ANS: Any questions aimed at resolving specific problems

7. Name two pieces of advice if you can’t answer a question.
ANS: Just say so; offer to research an answer and get back to the questioner later; suggest resources which will help the questioner answer the question for themselves

8. If people try to dominate the discussion, you should try to ignore them.
True / False / Not Given
ANS: False – You should acknowledge their participation

9. When someone answers a question, what should you be prepared to do?
ANS: Ask further questions

10. When is it appropriate to interrupt a question?
ANS: When it has become “vague or rambling”

11. In the ‘Turn Taking’ section, what does the word ‘recapping’ mean?
A. Giving a handout B. Writing down C. Asking questions D. Summarising
ANS: D. Summarising

12. This seminar was about the same length as the one that the audience will have to give.
True / False / Not Given
ANS: False – “My seminar is longer than what you have to present.”

13. What does the speaker do because the audience has listened?
ANS: Thank them

14. China’s economy has grown quickly over the last 10 years.
True / False / Not Given
ANS: Not Given

EAP Class Listening Activity Answers.

Since in some classes we didn't have time to go through the answers from the listening activities so I will put the answers here for you to check out.

Presenting Your Seminar – Listening Questions


1. How long will the presentation last?
20 minutes

2. What are the 2 main purposes of the talk?
Show how a seminar is presented, and give you some tips on presenting a seminar

3. Why would a student give a seminar presentation at university?
To demonstrate what they have learnt.

4. What are the 3 main areas that the talk will cover?
How to interact with the audience, how to organise your seminar and how to present your seminar.

5. What are the 4 important areas to consider regarding speaking (verbal communication)?
Volume, pausing, sentence stress and pronunciation.

6. Complete the sentence from the passage:
Sentence stress allows you “to get your message across more _________.” (forcifully)

7. All aspects of body language are the same in all countries. T / F / NG
F -not true.

8. Complete the sentence from the passage:
“…some things are ________ accepted as good presentation techniques.”
universally

9. Standing up in a straight, relaxed posture will help you in what 2 ways?
breathing, voice to travel
10. What one word is the key to controlling nervousness?
practice

11. What advice is given if you find it difficult to look directly into people's eyes?
Look at the top of people's heads instead.

12. Name 2 benefits of good eye-contact.
Gives your credibility and also allows you to see if the audience understands.
13. When should you move your arms?
To emphasise a point.
14. Which expression is used to introduce the potential power of visual aids.
A picture paints a thousand words
15. 9 different types of visual aids are mentioned. Can you list 6 of them?
sketches, graphs, charts, photographs, pictures, posters, objects, models, handouts.

16. Which 3 different types of audiovisual equipment are mentioned?
video,overhead projector, computer -for using the powerpoint presentation.
17. You should use ‘Arial’ or ‘Times New Roman’ font types as they are easy to read. T / F / NG
Not given
18. Complete the sentence from the passage:
“You should ________ look at the audience.”(always)
Never / occasionally / sometimes / most of the time / always

19. What is the problem of showing an audience a visual aid before it is necessary?
They'll stop listening

20. What should you do every time you show a new picture or piece of text?
Make a short pause

21. When should handouts be given out, and why?

At the end of the presentation otherwise they'll spend all the time looking at your handout.

EAP Library-Come and use me!

We have set up a small library just for EAP students to use, there are already about 70 items in the library, including CDs, DVDs, magazines, novels and text books. If you'd like to borrow something then please come to our office.

All you need to do is leave your name and phone number, you'll need to return the item within 20 days, but if nobody else wants to borrow it you can have the item again.

Come have a look at the library, us teachers would also be interested to know what other resources you'd like available in the library. Remember just studying English in the classroom isn't enough you need to make use of some of your own time to read, write, speak and listen to English if you want to make the best improvement with the language.

An Overview for Oral Presentations.

Presentations Overview

Body Language
Body language is important. Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or facial expression is preferred to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared speech. Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate and necessary. Master the use of presentation software such as PowerPoint well before your presentation. Do not over-dazzle your audience with excessive use of animation, sound clips, or gaudy colors which are inappropriate for your topic. Do not torture your audience by putting a lengthy document in tiny print on an overhead and reading it out to them.

Be Real
Speak with conviction as if you really believe in what you are saying. Persuade your audience effectively. The material you present orally should have the same ingredients as that which is required for a written research paper, i.e. a logical progression from INTRODUCTION to BODY to CONCLUSION.

Try not to Read from Notes
Do not read from notes for any extended length of time although it is quite acceptable to glance at your notes infrequently. Speak loudly and clearly. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error, correct it, and continue. No need to make excuses or apologise profusely.

Eye Contact
Maintain sincere eye contact with your audience. Use the 3-second method, e.g. look straight into the eyes of a person in the audience for 3 seconds at a time. Have direct eye contact with a number of people in the audience, and every now and then glance at the whole audience while speaking. Use your eye contact to make everyone in your audience feel involved.

Interact and Adapt
Speak to your audience, listen to their questions, respond to their reactions, adjust and adapt. If what you have prepared is obviously not getting across to your audience, change your strategy mid-stream if you are well-prepared to do so. Remember that communication is the key to a successful presentation. If you are short of time, know what can be safely left out. If you have extra time, know what could be effectively added. Always be prepared for the unexpected.

Pause
Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think. Don't race through your presentation and leave your audience, as well as yourself, feeling out of breath.

Be Humourous
Add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Keep your audience interested throughout your entire presentation. Remember that an interesting speech makes time fly, but a boring speech is always too long to endure even if the presentation time is the same.

Check Materials / Aids
When using audio-visual aids to enhance your presentation, be sure all necessary equipment is set up and in good working order prior to the presentation. If possible, have an emergency backup system readily available. Check out the location ahead of time to ensure seating arrangements for audience, whiteboard, blackboard, lighting, location of projection screen, sound system, etc. are suitable for your presentation.

Prepare Handouts
Have handouts ready and give them out at the appropriate time. Tell audience ahead of time that you will be giving out an outline of your presentation so that they will not waste time taking unnecessary notes during your presentation.

Manage Time
Know when to STOP talking. Use a timer or the microwave oven clock to time your presentation when preparing it at home. Just as you don't use unnecessary words in your written paper, you don't bore your audience with repetitious or unnecessary words in your oral presentation. To end your presentation, summarize your main points in the same way as you normally do in the CONCLUSION of a written paper. Remember, however, that there is a difference between spoken words appropriate for the ear and formally written words intended for reading. Terminate your presentation with an interesting remark or an appropriate punch line. Leave your listeners with a positive impression and a sense of completion. Do not try to stretch out your closing remarks. Thank your audience and sit down.


Seminars – Overview

What is a Seminar?
At university, a seminar is an academic presentation given by a student to a small group of fellow students. During the seminar, the student presenting the seminar plays the role of the teacher/lecturer and is responsible for presenting and explaining the chosen topic so that everyone can understand the topic. Following the seminar the presenter fields questions and then chairs a short discussion.

Why are Seminars Used at University?
Seminars are a very important way of presenting your own research or area of study in a more interactive way than an essay or report. In a traditional lecture environment, the lecturer teaches and students listen and take notes. In this environment there is little opportunity for discussion or questions.

In a seminar, the presenter is in charge and has the opportunity to explain their chosen topic and answer questions. In this way, both the presenter and audience can be actively involved. Generally, people learn and remember things better when they are actively involved in the learning process. Also, because seminars are normally quite short, there is less likelihood of participants becoming bored and losing concentration.

Seminar and presentation skills are not only useful at university. In many companies, presentations are frequently used both within the company, and with external clients. Even in a job that does not require you to give presentations, the ability to explain something clearly, logically and in an interesting way is a very valuable skill.


Websites

Below is a list of websites about presentations that you may find useful:
• http://www.aresearchguide.com/3tips.html
• http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/effective.html
• http://www.eslcafe.com/search/Pronunciation/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/news/words/general/index.shtml
• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/
• http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~markhill/conference-talk.html

More Photos

Talent Competition photos

The competition was great, the Xmas Party was great but this competition was much better, you can say it rocks!!! It was really hard to choose a winner and the whole competition from start to finish was exciting and entertaining. Great job everyone. Here are some photos from that day.

Website update

I've updated my website with links to australian video and sound clips so you can practice your listening and learn about OZ enjoy.
The website is www.icanwrite.piczo.com
The link you want is the last one at the bottom of the links section "Australian English Listening Resources" enjoy!

Your Photos Wanted!

Do you have any interesting photos?

Funny photos - serious photos?

People or places? Animals or oblects?

We want to see them!

How about rehearsals for the Talent Show?
We want to see what you are doing ...

Bring them to Kevin on a usb disk and he will upload them.

La Trobe University

This picture is from the campus of La Trobe university where you'll be studying in the future. Looks nice!

La Trobe's own website is http://www.latrobe.edu.au/
If you have any questions about La Trobe feel free to post below and I'll try to answer them for you!

The following is a description of La Trobe university from an independent site, you might be interested to read about your future place of study. (This review come from
http://www.productreview.com.au/showitem.php?item_id=30833)

The main campus of La Trobe University is situated in Melbourne on a 400-hectare parkland site encompassing a wildlife reserve. The University has an extensive research and development park, a comprehensive library, multi-media facilities, a hospital with student medical services, and many recreational facilities. Its regional campuses are located in Albury-Wodonga, Beechworth, Bendigo, Mildura, Mount Buller and Shepparton.

The University prides itself on the excellence of its teaching; and graduates consistently rate the quality of teaching in the University highly in the annual, independent surveys conducted by Graduate Careers Australia. It has some 24,000 students and more than 2,700 staff across five faculties: Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Law and Management, Science, Technology and Engineering, and Education.

The University has a strong research profile, enhanced by the presence of the Institute for Advanced Study, a residential centre for distinguished visiting overseas scholars, and a range of nationally and internationally renowned research centres and institutes, including The Research Centre for Linguistic Typology and the La Trobe University-Peking University-Beijing Foreign Studies Joint Centre for China Studies. Faculty-based research centres include the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society; the Centre for the Study of Mothers’ and Children’s Health; the Thesis Eleven Centre for Social Theory; and the African Studies Centre. Major water research centres are located at the Albury-Wodonga and Mildura campuses, and the Bendigo campus is home to the Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities and the Bendigo Business Recovery Centre. Enterprises within the R&D Park include a Technology Enterprise Centre; a Bioinformatics Centre of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research; a research arm of Rio Tinto Technology Development Laboratories; the training hotel of a major Chinese enterprise; the University’s Graduate School of Management; The Victorian Agribusiness Centre; the CAVAL Library facility; the National Centre for Hellenic Studies & Research; the Australian-Italian Institute; and the State Environmental Protection Agency.

The University is committed to internationalisation through exchanges of students and staff and its teaching, training and research programs. It has links with some 230 institutions in more than 40 countries. Teaching, training and research programs are available overseas, notably in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Japan and Bhutan. The University has a special link with China where it offers programs (in both Mandarin and English) in public health, business, languages, linguistics, ICT and archaeology in many cities. The University presides on the International Network of Universities, through which students are able to add an international dimension to their degree programs by undertaking one or two semesters of their studies in a partner institution overseas. A scheme of support scholarships is available.

More photos from the Christmas Performance

What a wonderful performance! Here are some more photos to help refresh your memory of the performance. Thanks to Kobe and Proffessor Fu for providing these photos.

The Talent Show - Assistant Comperes wanted!

A Master of Ceremonies or MC, sometimes called a compère or an MJ for "microphone jockey," is the host of a staged event or performance. The MC presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving. An MC may also tell jokes or anecdotes, and otherwise interact with the performance. (adapted from Wikipedia).

It is an important role which helps the different acts to run smoothly throughout the show. Kobe will act as the main MC and will be assisted by two or three students. Kobe did a great job with the Speaking Competition and he is welcomed back to host The Talent Show.

"Are you ready??" It's time to get organised!!

Assessment details update-FYI (for your information)

Want to know what each assessment task is worth as part of your whole grade for the year? The information is all below for you. You can also see the dates for ECNU assessment tasks and when they will be done, if the exact date hasn't been given it is because we haven't decided yet, but we know during what times the assessment task will probably take place. If you have any questions about the assessment task just come and see Kevin.

Assessment Overview for the year

Semester 1

Mid-term examinations 5%
Writing assessment 10%
Oral presentation 10%
Final examinations 10%

Semester 1- 35% Total Year Score

Semester 2

Mid-term examinations(IELTS) 5% April 13 to 24
Report writing 10% Due April 8
Listening & note-taking task 5% June 8
Class Presentation (pair work) 5% May 18 to May 27
Final examinations 40% June 22 to July 3

Semester 2- 65% Total Year Score

The Australian Flag

You probably recognise the Australian flag, but what does it stand for? Well the top left hand corner is the Union Jack, the British flag, and it is a reminder of our history, and how we started out as being founded by the British, and that we are still a member of the Commonwealth today.

Next you have the large star directly below it, this is the Federation Star and represents the states and territories of Australia, it is also a symbol of unity of these states and territories.

Lastly you have the Southern Cross, a constellation of stars that can only be seen in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is a reminder of Australia's geographic location in the world.

So now you know, anyone want to tell us what the Chinese flag stands for?

The Talent Quest!

The Talent Quest is Coming!! Watch this space for more information.
Songs, acting, comedy, poetry - you name it we want to see it....

There will be cash prizes for the best performances. Start preparing now. Have fun and win money ..... and marks!

Assessment details and Semester Outline Online

If you go to my website- www.icanwrite.piczo.com you can now find a copy of the assessment taska and also what we are studying this Semester online.
Bye!
:)

Bush Fires still burning near Melbourne

Here is a picture of a fire-fighter giving a poor Koala some water. Not only are people vicitms of these bush fires.

There have been terrible bush fires near Melbourne recently, there are three of them still burning at the moment. People have actually been lighting bush fires! I have no idea why people would do that! The link below gives you some more information about the situation.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/4587634/Australian-bush-fires-Arsonists-light-new-blazes.html

Just for your information in Australia bush fires are quite common in the countryside during Summer, Australia is a hot and dry country and there are a lot of empty places where a fire could start up and not been found out about until it is quite big. Even when they aren't lit by people, we call people who light fires "firebugs", they can still start naturally in such hot weather.

some pics from oz!

In Melbourne a barbeque by the beach is a good way to enjoy yourself. You need a hat for sun protection though.

You'll see plenty of graffiti around the place in Australia, some of it prettier than this!

This is a big vacant block of land near my Aunties house in Melbourne, there are lots of open empty spaces in Australia. No so common in China.

This is my Aunties house in Melbourne, I think a rather typical type of house. She lives in a one bedroom flat.

This is a photo taken from the window of my train going to Melbourne, from Adelaide. The scenery looked like this for most of the12 hours that I was on the train for.

This is a jetty at the beach in Adelaide, there were quite a few people fishing off the jetty here, in Adelaide a lot of people live within about 30 minutes drive of the beach.

I'll put up some more photoes later, I took some with my mobile phone also, I just need to find where my mobile phone's usb cord is.

I'd love to see some other teachers' or students' photos from their holidays too.

Photos

Here is a picture of my dear son Alexander

This photo was taken about 3 years ago now,but he hasn't changed too much-just got a bit taller!

Meet the teachers.

Want to know more about the teachers that teach you? Then feel free to chat here... I'll even put up a photo or two later!