Black Friday

As mentioned in class earlier today, here is a link to all the deals and promotions going on at multiple stores this Black Friday:

http://www.blackfriday.info/

Happy shopping!

Reminder for Next Field Trip: Wear Slippers

A HUGE thanks to everyone who participated in today's food-filled field trip!  I hope everyone got home safely and everyone enjoyed today's events (I certainly did!)  Thanks for braving the morning chill, for the New York crowds, and for your patience when I got lost.  If you took any pictures during the trip, please email them to me (before uploading them on Facebook :) )

As mentioned earlier today, there IS homework for Tuesday's class.

1. Grammar Sense 4:  pages 270 - 271
2. Watch the newly released The Story of Electronics about how our relentless obsession with electronics is trashing the planet.
3. Prepare a short speech on Tuesday where you are running for the presidency in the 2012 elections.  Using noun clauses (if / whether / that / wh- words), talk about what you propose (that) / suggest (that) / recommend (that) for us to stop E-waste.

We will also go over the homework from the NorthStar chapter on Honesty (pages 30 - 32).  Until we see each other on Tuesday, relax those sore feet!

WH- Information on Tomorrow's Field Trip

 

• Who:  Global English Academy's Advanced Grammar/Oral Skills Class (T/Th 9 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.)
  
• What:  Walking tour of Manhattan's Lower East Side.
  
• When:  Thursday, November 11th.  Starts at 9 - 9:30 a.m.  Finishes at around 3 p.m.
  
• Where:  Meeting place at Europa Cafe (and not EuroPAN Cafe, sorry!) on Seventh (7th) Avenue between Thirty-first (31st) and Thirty-second (32nd) streets.
  
  
  View Larger Map
  
  
• Why:  To eat, to relax, to learn, to walk, to talk, but most importantly, to have fun.

Assignment in Preparation for Thursday's Field Trip

Mulberry Street, Lower East Side (circa 1900)

Mulberry Street (circa 2010)

Hello all!  I hope everyone got a chance to rest and relax this weekend (I certainly did!).

ASSIGNMENT
As mentioned in class, I would like you to familiarize yourself with the history and the stories behind tenements in the Lower East Side.

1. Go to The Lower Eastside Tenement Museum Virtual Tour.
2. Visit each of the six tenements at the very top of the website.
3. Read the description for each apartment and listen to the accompanying audio (if available).
4. Answer these four questions:
• Why did the Rogarshevskys change their names to "Rosenthal"?
• How many daughters did the wife, Nathalie, have?
• What did the Levins do for a living?  (i.e. What was their profession?)
5. Optionally, you can visit The History Channel's excellent article on NYC tenements here.
6. There is also a 10-minute video slideshow featuring a very haunting look at tenement life.
   

As for our field trip itinerary, we will be exploring four distinct ethnic neighborhoods and learn how their heritage and traditions helped to shape the fabric of New York City, as well as American, life:  the Italians, the Chinese, the Jewish, and the Hispanic.

A Culinary Approach to Immigrant History

Hello on this rainy Thursday!  For those of you who joined us today, thank you for making the trip.  If you didn't get to come to class, that's okay as all the important details discussed will be posted here.

1. As mentioned in class and in a previous post, there is now a calendar on the very top of this website.  Some students have had trouble retrieving the necessary information (e.g., pages in the book, homework, etc) from the calendar but I'm pretty confident in saying that it is now in working order.  Just click on the title for the day you want more information on (e.g., today's class) and a box should pop out.  Please, please, please let me know if you have any problems.
2. We also decided in class today that we will be going on a field trip next Thursday, November 11 (which also happens to be Veteran's Day; there IS class that day).  Specifically, we will be exploring the culinary and historical aspects of Manhattan's oldest immigrant communities: the Lower East Side (as pictured above in the early 20th century).  Our walking tour will start in front of Penn Station at around 9 a.m. and will end sometime in the afternoon (3-4pm).  We will walk (and eat) our way through the area, learning about the lives of these groups and how they struggled to make a living in this big city.  There will be a short assignment before the trip for preparation purposes but more information will be provided in class on Tuesday.  Again, any questions and concerns related to the field trip should be emailed to me (harvey.chan.is@gmail.com).
3. The homework for Tuesday is pages 30-33 in the NorthStar 5 book.  You can download the audio for these pages here (right-click to "Save As"):
   
   Track 14
   Track 15
   Track 16
   Track 17
   Track 18
   Track 19
   Track 20
   Track 21

As always, please email me if you have any questions.  Have a great weekend!