Week 14 Highlights

Dear beloved parents and students,

Happy Happy Thanksgiving! I would like to express my gratitude to each of you in playing a vital role in our journey to learn and grow together. Even though I'm a teacher, I still learn a lot every day because of you. All of you  bring me an abundance of joy inside and outside of the classroom. Thank you for letting me be your teacher! Alright, I think I'm done being cheesy 😇 Let's take a look at this week's highlights:

• In reading, both 402 and 403 students read about "A Hike in the Park" at Stone Mount State Park in North Carolina. Throughout this short story, we learned to differentiate between a fact and an opinion. Let me ask you a trick question. "Ms. Wendy was happy yesterday." Is this a fact or an opinion? Let me know in the comments below! I hope you remember what I said in class!
• In Math, we started learning about mixed numbers and improper fraction. Remember that a mixed number is a whole number plus a fraction. An improper fraction is where the numerator (top number) is always BIGGER than the denominator (bottom number). We'll continue to learn how to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions and vice versa. Be prepared folks!
• We didn't get a chance to learn Science this week due to health check ups, Chinese Exams, and taking yearbook pictures. Don't worry, we'll catch up next week! We'll be learning about ENERGY! So, please make sure that you have energy to learn about ENERGY next week!
• In grammar, we learned about imperatives. We use imperatives in 5 situations: 1) to give orders 2) to give instructions 3) to offer something 4) to give advice and 5) to warn. Please remember this as this will highly likely come up on the grammar quiz next week! I asked my students what would you offer to the President if she visits your home. Many of them told me that they would say 'Have some steak' to the President! You guys really are a humorous bunch.
• In writing, we've started to learn about persuasive writing. The purposes of persuasive essays are to 1) change someone's mind 2) make someone believe in something, or 3) convince someone to take action. I had my students write about why they think students should have shorter school days. Many of them mentioned that spending quality time with family is very important, which is why students should have shorter school days. Do you think that the Principal will be convinced? Hmmm.... one day, maybe. 
• As for vocabulary this week, many didn't do too well on their spelling quizzes because many felt exhausted after their 2nd exam week! However, this week's vocabulary is much trickier to spell so making small and silly mistakes caused students many points to be deducted from their overall score. I would also like to give you a heads up that next week's vocabulary will be even more challenging. 
• I would also like to give a shout out to my brilliant students Sofia and Nicholas. Not only did both of you did excellent on your exams, you are also proactive learners. Bravo! Proactive learners always put first things first and seek first to understand. Please keep up the excellence.

Whew! That's a wrap for this week. It's starting to get colder, which means that Christmas is getting near. Woohoo! I hope that all of you bundle up and have a cozy weekend ❤❤

Warm Regards,

Ms. Wendy

L11 Vocabulary Study Tool- Quizlet

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Here is the link to the this week's vocabulary on Quizlet. I suggest you (student) to download the Quizlet app onto your phone if you haven't already. When you're waiting for someone or waiting for your food to be served at a restaurant, using Quizlet is an effortless way to study. This way, you wouldn't have to cram all the studying the night before your test!

Please click here to access the Quizlet
Please click here to download Quizlet for Android and Quizlet for Apple

Here are some tips for studying vocabulary

1. Round 1: start with the side that has the vocabulary word first and say the definition out loud to yourself. If you're in public, just say it in your mind. Try to remember the spelling of the word in Round 1.
2. Round 2: start with the side that has the definition first and spell out the vocabulary before you click to flip the flashcard over. Make sure that you've spelled it correctly.
3. Round 3: do Round 2 again but also compose a sentence for each vocabulary

If you have trouble memorizing certain words, I suggest you to find pictures to help you remember. Instead of just memorizing the word, seek to understand its meaning through context.

Happy Studying!

Ms. Wendy

Week 13 Highlights

Hi, everyone!

Happy Friday to you all. Guess what? You've all conquered Unit 2 Exam Week! All of you should really give yourselves a pat on the back for accomplishing such an immense task. Taking tests is never easy so each of you did superb! Here are the highlights of this week.

• First, we reviewed and prepared for exams by playing Jeopardy, Quizlet Games, and going through study guides. Many students get quite fired up when playing games, which definitely helped lift the spirits and energy of the classroom.
• As for exams, I would have to point out that I am quite happy about all of your essays (for both 402 and 403). Most of you were able to write a well-structured essay where you included the necessary elements such as a hook, thesis, topic sentences, and concluding sentences. I honestly had a lot of fun reading how each of you would spend 1 million dollars. Reading your essays is one of my greatest joys because I get to know each of you more!
• As for our English Assembly on Thursday, Sean from 402 did an excellent speech on our Lih-Jen Angel this week, who is Amber Huang (please watch the video below). I've chosen Amber as our Lih-Jen Angel because she is one of the most diligent student in class. Many times when others complain about writing essays or doing other classwork, Amber doesn't say much and gets straight to work. Thank you, Amber, for your dedication and hard work. You really deserve to be our Lih-Jen Angel. On the other hand, I also really have to commend Sean for putting his best effort into the Lih-Jen Angel speech. I am genuinely impressed of Sean's ability to present himself very clearly and with expression. You did terrific, Sean. You really have talent.

Anyways, that's a wrap for this week! All of you have done a terrific job in pushing through English Exam Week. Please rest well and have some fun this weekend before you start drilling for your Chinese Exams next week! You can do it!

Best,

Ms. Wendy

Week 12 Highlights

Greetings, everyone!

Another week has come to an and and here are some highlights and memorable moments of Week 12.

• In reading class, I had a pop quiz for my 402 students on 'Me and Uncle Romie.' While many did well, there were also many who realized that they needed to study more, which is really good!
• In writing class, they students wrote about, 'the best way to spend time.' There were students who wrote about spending time with family, friends, playing video games, traveling the world... and even studying! I also had one student who wrote about spending time with his parrot. How adorable!
• In math class, we learned about finding the unknown sides, areas, and perimeters of squares and rectangles. This week's math lesson was more challenging than the last so many students struggled with it a little bit. This means that many would have to focus on studying this unit for the exam next week.
• In grammar class, I had students complete the 'Revision' section from pages 42-46. I also asked students to make sure that they've done all of their corrections (with a blue pen) for previous units in order to prepare for the exam.
• In vocabulary class, we played charades and used Quizlet to review lessons 6-10. The students get quite pumped when they get to act in front of their peers! Since studying for vocabulary can get dull, I had students draw pictures for 10 vocabulary words (of their choice) for homework. Most students seemed to enjoy the homework and very drew creative and hilarious pictures! (as shown below)

Well, that's wrap for this week. Next week is exam week so I hope that all students will rest well and nourish yourselves with nutritious food! Did you know that eating fish, eggs, broccoli, and even dark chocolate will help boost your mind and memory? Anyways, I hope that all of you will study hard and be prepared for next week.

Until next time,

Ms. Wendy

Unit 2 Exam Scope and Study Tools

Dear ALL,

Each student should already have glued (or stapled) the exam scope in the communication book. However, I'm posting the exam scope here again just in case any of you need another reference. THE EXAM WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 20TH-21ST ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. I've also created Quizlets and Powerpoints for the student to study so I highly urge each student to start studying from my links as soon as possible!

Exam Scope:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ovd1zAGtcyM0uL0cjhYAjmcbpVl_rSFNh5BZuF7G0qs/edit?usp=sharing

Study Links

• Vocabulary Study Link (Lessons 6-10): https://quizlet.com/Ms_Gloria
• Reading Comprehension and Grammar (Class 402): https://quizlet.com/449267281/unit-2-402-english-review-flash-cards/
• Reading Comprehension and Grammar (Class 403): https://quizlet.com/449763314/unit-2-403-english-review-flash-cards/
• Units 7 & 8: https://quizlet.com/448887245/grammar-unit-7-8-possessive-cases-and-forms-flash-cards/ 
• Writing: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wu4fgokJnX3dXCK46M8PveEiLLJ1wVUFCuAzdRdRHjY/edit?usp=sharing
• Math: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DVl2jKuTaxWCkeiQqfwC1H3FmSC9dWiPs3ayekXmJus/edit?usp=sharing
• Science: https://quizlet.com/449263111/unit-2-science-review-flash-cards/

Again, please email me if you have any questions.

Happy Studying!

Ms. Wendy

Week 11 Highlights

Dear beloved students and parents,

I don't know if it's just me or this week flew by faster than the last. Here are this week's highlights:

• In reading class, the 402 students read about 'Jose! Born to Dance.' This story was a little bit more challenging to read because there were several vocabulary and idioms that aren't commonly used in the student's culture. I taught them about 'similes' and I asked them to spot the similes in the book. Pauly was the first student to spot the similes. Good job, Pauly! As for my 403 students, we read about a famous Native-American Ballerina named Maria Tallchief. This was an informative story so the students learned how to gather facts from the story.
• In science, we continued to learn about 'forces.' I asked students to give me examples of forces and Winston said 'yank,' which was a vocabulary word from Week 9. I'm very impressed, Winston! :) 
• In math, we learned about finding the area and perimeter. Many students get confused between the unit for perimeter (e.g. cm) and the unit for area (e.g. cm²). We definitely will need to review these concepts and do more exercises next week before the exam!
• In writing, students wrote about what they are most thankful for. Most students talked about being thankful for their friends and family. I am seriously overwhelmed with joy to know that all students have loving and supportive people around them. I would also like to point out that both 402 and 403 students' writing have significantly improved this week as compared to last week. I can tell that the students are trying harder. They've definitely composed masterpieces this week!
• As for our English Assembly on Thursday, I chose Bomin as our Lih-Ren Angel for my 403 class. Not only does she excel academically, she is also very proactive in class, and an empathetic friend. She is definitely a positive influence to the people around her. Good job, Bomin! Furthermore, our speakers Audrey and Anna did an excellent job in giving the Lih-Ren Angel speech at the assembly. We've been practicing all week and even though they were nervous, they memorized their speech PERFECTLY. 

Anyways, that's a wrap for this week! Next week (week 12) will be review week and I will be posting more Quizlet links for studying so please watch out for upcoming blog posts. I hope that all of you will rest well this weekend and feel recharged next week. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns :)

Grammar Pages for Week 11's Test

Dear 403 students,

I can't believe that I didn't pass out your grammar books for you to study tonight! Here are the pictures of the pictures of pages for tomorrow's test. If you don't have time to study from the book, please study from my Quizlet. If you study from the Quizlet, you should do fine on the test.

Happy Studying!

Ms. Wendy

L10 Vocabulary Study Tool- Quizlet

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Here is the link to the this week's vocabulary on Quizlet. I suggest you (student) to download the Quizlet app onto your phone if you haven't already. When you're waiting for someone or waiting for your food to be served at a restaurant, using Quizlet is an effortless way to study. This way, you wouldn't have to cram all the studying the night before your test!

Please click here to access the Quizlet
Please click here to download Quizlet for Android and Quizlet for Apple

Here are some tips for studying vocabulary

1. Round 1: start with the side that has the vocabulary word first and say the definition out loud to yourself. If you're in public, just say it in your mind. Try to remember the spelling of the word in Round 1.
2. Round 2: start with the side that has the definition first and spell out the vocabulary before you click to flip the flashcard over. Make sure that you've spelled it correctly.
3. Round 3: do Round 2 again but also compose a sentence for each vocabulary

If you have trouble memorizing certain words, I suggest you to find pictures to help you remember. Instead of just memorizing the word, seek to understand its meaning through context.

Happy Studying!

Ms. Wendy

Unit 7 & 8 Grammar Study Tool

Dear ALL,

This week's Grammar Quiz will cover Unit 7 (Possessive Cases) and Unit 8 (Possessive Forms). While the content in these units are simple, they can be quite confusing so I urge students to study my Quizlet AT LEAST TWICE before Friday's test.

Please click here to access the Quizlet to study for Friday, November 8th's Grammar Quiz. 

Again, let me know if you have any questions! I'm more than happy to help you out :)

Ms. Wendy

Week 10 Highlights

Dear Parents and Students,

I can't believe that our second week together has already come to an end. Time really flies! Here are the highlights of this week:

• Both 402 and 403 students read  'Snake Hunt' this week and they've learned that most snakes are actually harmless! There are only 4 types of snakes that are venomous. I also found out that quite a few students had experience holding/ snakes before. How brave! ....even I wouldn't dare.
• We wrote about 'The Best Things about Being a Student' in writing class and many students wrote about making new friends. I'm happy to know that students are building meaningful relationships with one another. 
• We played 'Whose eye is this?' in grammar class. I displayed zoomed in pictures of animals' eyes and the students had to guess what animal the eye belonged to while practicing utilizing possessive cases (i.e. It's the ostrich's eye. The eye of the ostrich). I'm impressed with how many they've gotten correct!
• In math, we learned about parallel lines, perpendicular lines, squares, and rectangles. Many students were surprised to learn that a square can also be a rectangle but a rectangle can't be a square. Whoa...What?
•  I filmed Good Morning English (GME) with Sean, Winston, Tyler, and Charlene...and I have to say that this bunch made me laugh. We had to re-film it quite a few times because Winston and Tyler wouldn't stop making us laugh! Oh well, at least we got it done. Good job, team!
• In Science, we learned about 'Forces' and I pushed a backpack and a computer mouse to show how mass affects the movement of an object. The mouse obviously won the race. 
• I would also like to point out that this week's spelling scores has significantly improved for both 402 and 403 students. I am so happy to see all of you putting your best effort. Please keep up the good work!

Well, this is a brief overview of this week. I really want to thank all the students who are starting to open up to me and participate more in class. I also want to thank all parents for being a vital part of each student's learning journey. Let us learn and grow together even more next week!

With greatest regards,

Ms. Wendy