Term 3 topic: Being Connected

This term we will connect with each other for learning outside of class hours via SMS or WeChat (on internet connected mobile phone or tablet) or email, and with other classes via our Kidblog.

Connecting via SMS text message or WeChat and email

If you have an internet ready mobile or an ipad/ tablet, please download WeChat so I can add you to our Group chat.

I will post no more than one or two chat items each week and I look forward to your participation in the chats. OR you can reply to my text messages about class work.

I would like you to let me know when you have received and read my email (no more than one per week.)

Connecting on our ESL3 at CNLC Kidblog

I would like you to post at least three times at Kidblog. You can do this anywhere as long as you remember your Username and your simple password because our Kidblog is closed at the moment.

Please write the following posts:

1. Some instructions for using a mobile phone feature, like how to delete text messages or how to put a photo on your Wallpaper.
2. A news story from a local newspaper or Council newsletter - write main ideas and give your opinion about it
3. A new technology or skill that you have learned to use recently that helps you get connected either for learning (WeChat / Kidblog) or for another part of your life, like lodging your Centrelink form or filling out a form online to apply for something.

Please reply to at least 3 blog posts by other students to:

• give them feedback on their work, and 
• give your opinion about the subject.

Here is the news story about volunteering in the Companion Animal Support Program. You can write a post about this program - main ideas and what you think about it. We will practice some job interviews for this position too.

From the City of Yarra August Newsletter

Do you need help with starting to use Kidblog?

Look at the How-to post at Kidblog presentation here.

Have you got an iphone or iPad?

You can download the Kidblog app at the iTunes App store on your mobile iphone or iPad. You will find this very easy to use to access and use the Students' kidblog.

Term 3: Being Connected - our Learning Places

Welcome to Term 3 in ESL3

It's awhile since I posted here at the Class Blog so it's a good time to review our Learning Places on the internet to get ready for our term Topic: Being Connected.

Our Learning Places

ESL Three Class Blog

• is a starting point for all other places (see the links to those places in the Sidebar on the Right?)
• explains whole term activities
• is for catching up on missed work and doing extra work
• will direct readers to the latest posts in our Class Record
• is PUBLIC

Are you having trouble locating this blog by searching for: ESL3 at CNLC? Then you can type the QUICK link into the Address Bar in your browser: bit.ly/eslthree 

Welcome to ESL 3 Class blog in 2014

Welcome to our Class blog where we will post work and links to the internet each week.

This will help you revise what you did in class OR catch up work you missed if you were away OR do extra work for independent learning away from class.

Our places on the Internet

We will use a Class Record to keep a record of new language learnt in class. You can visit this Google Presentation any time and anywhere!



We had a similar Google Presentation in 2012 but this one will be more accessible - you can view it as long as you remember how to find the Class Blog.

Your Independent Learning Record in 2014

We kept track of your Independent Learning in 2013 with a Google document. This was successful because it is a list of all independent learning topics that students choose to write about in the Learning Journal or in Kidblog. Here is a link to the new document in 2014 and the link will always be available for you to access in the right Sidebar of this Class blog.

Our Kidblog

We will continue the wonderfully successful ESL3 at CNLC Kidblog in 2014. It is open to the public to view but you will need to join up to write posts.

You can post your Independent Learning here INSTEAD of in your Learning Journal. Can you see how many visitors have viewed our Kidblog?

Screenshot taken 2 February 2014

CNLCTalks Students' wiki

Last but not least, is our learning place for the whole of CNLC, here: CNLCTalks wiki.

The HOME page is open to view but you'll have to sign in to view Our Photos and Slideshows Page (do you remember the username and password to sign IN?) and ESL3 Pages.

Grammar corner - extend yourself

Reported Questions:

We practised reporting questions that were asked earlier. Look at our Class Record, Slide 3 for examples.

Here is a great lesson on Reported Questions at BBC Learning English: it includes a conversation and some worksheets.

Term 4 / Week 2 - 4: Blogging your Learning Projects

Some students have typed up their Learning Projects on Active Citizens in Kidblog and they are looking great. In the screenshot below you can see who has finished (or almost finished) blogging their reports.

Screenshot taken on 31 October of our Blog posts in Kidblog

 To view the blog posts, click the Page link on the right sidebar to go to Kidblog and then log in.

Can you see how many Comments there are on each post? if there's only one Comment, then it is likely to be Jill's!

Reading other people's posts

When you read a blog post, it's polite to reply - try to write something acknowledging that person's work. You can thank them or, even better, ask a question or make a comment.

Looking for replies to your posts

Check for any replies - if someone asked a question, try to answer it. For example, I asked Jason a question about his post on the Moon Cake Festival, so I'm still hoping that you can answer that, Jason....

ABC News in 90 seconds - Extend yourself

The other day I had trouble searching for this program. I think I searched for 30 October instead of 29 October - I got a bit ahead of myself.

So here is the link to the video and here is the worksheet with the questions.

Locating the ABC News in 90 Seconds for a particular day: I searched for 'abcnews in 90 seconds 29 october' and found it without any problems!!!!!!!

 

Did you miss ..... in Weeks 1 to 4?

• Here is a very important worksheet practising Passive Voice (complete the sentences before checking the answers!) - put the Active sentence into passive by removing the Subject and making the Object the New Subject- in simple present, simple past and present perfect tenses.
• In Week 2, we also practised writing passive sentences with an Agent, using 'with' or 'by' in this worksheet and here are the answers.
• And in Week 3, we practised using the Past Perfect tense (the past before the past) with past tense in this worksheet (complete the sentences before checking the answers!).

Writing for Web 2 with Kidblog

This week we will continue to explore the kidblog we are using for students' writing and internet learning.

If you attended computer class last week, you'll remember that we just got started with Adding a New post. No-one finished the post - this is what the work looks like for the teacher.

After you log in, don't forget to TAB to your Blog to see your unfinished Draft. In Edit view, can you also see how many words you have written? This is the Word Count.

When you have finished your Draft, select Submit for Review. Teacher will then check it and Publish.

While you are waiting for that to happen, you could Tab to All Blogs and read the ones that are published. Please Comment on one of the blog posts there.

Again, your Comment will go to the teacher for Moderation before Publishing. Yes! Teacher has the responsibility to ensure that all posts AND comments are good enough for all the other students to read.

Happy blogging!

Have you got an iphone or iPad?

You can download the Kidblog app at the iTunes App store on your mobile iphone or iPad. You will find this very easy to use to access and use the Students' kidblog.

Blogging with Kidblog: Add new post

It's time to start using Kidblog to share your writing with others in the class. Over the next few weeks we will explore the features of Kidblog, such as:

• drafting a new post
• submitting it to the teacher for review
• publishing your post for others to read
• reading other people's posts
• commenting (giving feedback) on other people's posts
• replying to comments made by others on your posts
• adding photos and weblinks to your posts
• and more...! 

Play the Presentation below if you are just starting out or if you have forgotten how to log in and add a new post.

Our walk in the Park - tracing the path of the Tunnel

Any impacts within Royal Park will be mostly short-term during construction.... the park will be restored and even improved once the project is completed. ....We are working with the community during planning to understand and minimise impacts in this area.

 from the Linking Melbourne Authority Fact sheet: Royal Park

Today we drove to the western end of Royal Park to visit the site where the East West Link road will come out of the Tunnel and cross Royal Park.

The sun came out and the only trouble we had was finding a park because all the construction workers had parked in the car park. A big thanks to all the drivers including Hang, Huong, Jason and Martin (Anna's father-in-law). None of us got lost, thank goodness.

We did a short walk into the Trin Warren Tam-boore wetlands (no, I don't expect you to remember that name!). There we saw a number of coots - two were even fighting!

Australian coot

We then went over to the Ross Straw sportsfield and looked across to the train line. Somewhere along the train line, the road is expected to come out of the Tunnel and trace a path over the sports ground and wetlands to Citylink. A dozen galahs were feeding in the grass.



After that, we crossed the road to have a look at the billabong wetlands which hold the stormwater (for watering the park in Summer). While we ate a snack, we watched a large swamphen and a black duck at the water's edge.



On the way back to CNLC, we turned off Elliott Avenue and drove up to the top of the highest point in Royal Park at the Netball Centre, just to have a look at the view over the zoo.

--> Weren't we lucky with the beautiful weather? Note: you can find our photos at ESLThree Kidblog.

A walk in the Park - video of Royal Park near City link

Here are some photos that I took the other day when I visited the western end of Royal Park where the East West Tunnel will connect to CityLink.