HELP me Please!

Recently a student wrote to me about her problems. Read the passage below and leave a comment in this post. Please leave encouraging comment or advice for your new friend.

Dear Somebody,

   I have a problem and I need some advice. First of all, I’m an only child and both my parents are working. We moved to this area about a month ago and I just enrolled in the school nearby. I don’t have any friends because I’m still new in school.

          I have a hard time catching up to the lesson in class. The way the teacher teach is so different than in my old school. Sure I understand that this is an elite school but I feel like I’m being left behind. The teacher expects me to know the things I already missed out on and the other students look like they can’t be bothered with helping me.

          I’m to shy to talk to anyone and the teacher look very strict. What should I do? I don’t want to be left behind anymore.

                                                             Desperate,

                                                              Miss T

MY HERO

MY HERO

Who do you think of when you hear the word 'HERO'?

Watch this Music Video and Listen to the Lyrics.

My Hero by The Foo Fighters

Too alarming now to talk about
Take your pictures down and shake it out
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary
Don’t the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary
Kudos my hero leaving all the best
You know my hero, the one that’s on
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He's ordinary

__________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY ONE (ask yourself)
Answer these Questions based on the Music video.

1. What is the boy doing throughout the music video?
2. Why do you think he did that?
3. Who do you think this boy is? Is he a Fireman?
4. Where can you meet people like that?
5. Who is the Hero? Describe him from what you see.

___________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY TWO (a little exercise)
In about 200 words, describe your HERO. It could be anyone or everyone, it sould even be you.
Tell us WHY, that person is your Hero. WHAT did he/she do? Lastly, write HOW you feel and what you want to say to that person if you could meet them.

Read more about ordinary people
becoming heroes at http://www.rd.com/heroes-stories-of-bravery/

___________________________________________________________________

BLOG COMMENT ACTIVITY
Let's talked about HEROES.
Is it wrong to have Superman as your Hero?
Do your Hero have to be someone great? like a Politician or a Famous Artist?
How can you be your own HERO?

5 Ws and 1 H

THE 5 W's and 1 H


If you find yourself stuck and can't start writing, ask yourself these questions:


What? -------- >What happened (what's the story)?
Who? -------- > Who was involved?
When?--------> When did it take place?
Where?--------> Where did it take place?
Why?----------->Why did it happen?
How? ---------->How did it happen?


Let's try it out shall we.
Many people around your school area has been reported with denggi. So, last weekend, your school has organized a 'gotong-royong'. Write in your words what happened that day. Your essay must be more than 250 words.


What happened? The school had a gotong-royong activity.
Who was involved? Teachers, students, Parents, neighbours etc.
When did it take place? Day of event (Saturday or Sunday), Date, Time... etc.
Where did it take place? Assembly ground, The Field, calssroom etc..
Why? to keep the school clean and prevent Aedes Mosquito from breeding.
How did it happen? More than 3 students from the school was reported with Denggi.

Now that you have the needed information, you can draft an outline of what happened during the event even though it didn't actually occur.

Use your imagination, create something from your past experience and bring in something new.

Now in the Comment Box below, TELL ME, about the most interesting event that happened in your life. Don't forget to write your name.

:)

Diary

Diary is a personal account/entry of a person’s life.It could be about anything or everything that happens in life.A diary is ussually written in past tense because the event has already occur. Read the example below to see the tense used in a diary. Most people would write in the 1st person point of view. Therefore the pronoun ‘I’, ‘me’ and so on is used to refer to the writer. But some people find it easier to write if they refer to themselves as a 2nd or 3rd person. Example, instead of using ‘I’, the writer would use his/her name or using the pronoun ‘he’ or ‘she’ to refer to himself/herself.

Format of a Diary

-Day
-Date
-Content

-Signature (optional)

How to Start a Diary Entry

1. Start by writing the day and date of the entry.

Eg :


2. Ask yourself what you did that day.
- List down the event in order so you don’t miss anything interesting.

- Decide to write about everything or just the most interesting event

3. Write it using your own words. Don’t worry about grammar mistakes or about not using
big/difficult words. The more you write, the better you’ll get.

Eg:

click for a bigger image

4. Put your Signature at the end of your entry.

This is an optional and is not compulsary.

Example of a Diary entry

(click the example for a better view)

In Class Activity

Individual work- Write a diary entry for today.

Group work - in a group of three to four people, write a diary entry where each member writes one paragraph.

Pair work - ...

In class activity

Check out these websites or further readings on Diary/Journals:
http://www.124diary.com/diary-journal-tips.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary

NARRATIVE ESSAY

Format of Narrative Essays

Narrative essays are experiences written by you that you face during your life. It tells a story, which is meaningful and important to the writer, it can be real, or imagination based. It describes how a certain event can change a major part of the writer and their life. A good narrative isn't just an enjoyable or amusing story, but has a point to make, an idea to pass on. The writer uses details that are significant and merges them to build up a story line that is easy for the reader to follow.
Features
1. The story should have an introduction that clearly indicates what kind of narrative essay it is (an event or recurring activity, a personal experience, or an observation), and it should have a conclusion that makes a point.
2. The essay should include anecdotes. The author should describe the person, the scene, or the event in some detail. It's okay to include dialogue as long as the punctuation is correct and avoid using too much dialog.
3. The occasion or person described must be suggestive in the description and thoughts lead the reader to reflect on the human experience.
4. The point of view in narrative essays is usually first person. The use of "I" invites the readers into an intimate discussion.
5. The writing in the essay should be lively and show some style. Try to describe ideas and events in new and different ways. Avoid using clichés. Again, get the basic story down, get it organized, and in the final editing process, work on word choice.


Sample of Narrative Essay

Attitude Is Everything

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said.
Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combinations. The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

FORMAL LETTER ( FORMAT AND EXAMPLE)

Format for Writing Formal Letters in English

In English there are a number of conventions that should be used when writing a formal or business letter. Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use informal language like contractions.

Addresses:

1) Your Address
The return address should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter.

2) The Address of the person you are writing to
The inside address should be written on the left, starting below your address.

Date:

Different people put the date on different sides of the page. You can write this on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the month as a word.

Salutation or greeting:

1) Dear Sir or Madam,
If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.

2) Dear Mr Jenkins,
If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

Ending a letter:

1) Yours Faithfully
If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

2) Yours Sincerely
If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

3) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If you think the person you are writing to might not know whether you are male of female, put you title in brackets after your name.

Example of Formal Letter.

INFORMAL LETTER(FORMAT AND EXAMPLE)

INFORMAL LETTER FORMAT

EXAMPLE OF INFORMAL LETTER