On Language & Lingusitics

Dear Students:

The extinction of languages is more common than you might know.  Below are some reading and listening opportunities for your consideration on this subject.  Your task is simple.  You should write a reaction paper after checking out at least two of the following sources.  You don't have to listen to all of them, but you do have to incorporate some of what these sources discuss into your answer.  Bonus points awarded to those papers that demonstrate creativity, thought, and (of course!) vocabulary from Chapter 14 in Essential Academic Vocabulary!  All responses should be typed.  Be sure to underline or embolden the words you use!

The overall question:  Is it tragic when a language becomes extinct?  Why or why not?

The best answer will get a special prize.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/01/07/260555554/what-happens-when-a-languages-last-monolingual-speaker-dies

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/12/30/258376009/how-language-seems-to-shape-ones-view-of-the-world

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/01/10/168878237/jared-diamond-a-new-guinea-campfire-and-why-we-should-want-to-speak-five-languag

http://www.ted.com/talks/keith_chen_could_your_language_affect_your_ability_to_save_money.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TJD97x84vM

The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

Students,

Fifty years ago this Wednesday, 250,000 Americans marched on Washington in an effort to promote racial equality and to put an end to racial discrimination.  Martin Luther King delivered his most famous speech, "I Have a Dream" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Here are some reading, listening and video links that will help you better understand this important moment in America's past and hopefully how this event relates to things that happen today.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10264375/Martin-Luther-Kings-march-on-Washington-commemorated.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45755884/vp/52831723

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130827/EDIT01/308250023/King-s-words-live-on?nclick_check=1

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/8/21/50_years_later_the_untold_history

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efd_UybfrGo

http://www.npr.org/2013/08/27/214224111/clarence-b-jones-a-guiding-hand-behind-i-have-a-dream

Reading Short Stories

Students, did you know that there are fictional stories that you can read that are not as long as books? Check out the link below for a collection of some of the most famous short stories ever written for the English language.  As you read, be sure to focus specifically on reading comprehension questions and any new vocabulary that you find.  

http://www.americanliterature.com/short-story-collections

Let / Make / Help / Have / Get ?

Students--

In writing, I often notice that some students have trouble using the verbs let, make, have and help correctly.  Below are some websites for additional information and exercises you can do to study how to use the verbs, and there are also exercises that will help you practice.  Feel free to write some sentences to show your LTC teacher that you can use this grammar point effectively!

For Instruction:

VIDEO:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x-Sw46Nt1w
http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/let.html
http://www.englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk/let-get-have-make-verbs/
http://www.elc.byu.edu/classes/aoyama/grammar4/aoyg4f05/charts/causative_verbs.pdf

For Practice:

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/let-or-make-exercise-1.html
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=7056
http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/letexercise.htm

Masters: Reading - Biology

Keystone Species: How Predators Create Abundance and Stability

LS Documentaries List

Dear Students, here are some links to some documentaries that are acceptable for our first speaking evaluation / project.  Some of them are links to actual videos, while others are merely links to information about the video.  You may need to go out and get the documentary yourself if you can't find it online.  If you have any questions, direct them to briantheteacher@gmail.com.

Waste Land
http://www.hulu.com/watch/397079

The Least of These:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/178293

30 Years From Here
http://www.hulu.com/watch/369234

Super-Size Me
http://www.hulu.com/watch/63283

Lost Angels:  Skid Row is My Home
http://www.hulu.com/watch/460340

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122

Park Avenue:  Money, Power, and the American Dream
http://www.hulu.com/watch/417228

The Flaw:  What Happens When the Rich Get Richer?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/424545

Listening: Critical Thinking Questions.

Dear Master's / LS Students:  See how well you can do answering ONE of the following questions below!  If you answer two or more questions well, there may even be a bonus point waiting for you tomorrow!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6933763

1. Describe what Gaman art is. What does it look like? Why was it made? What does it teach us about culture(s) in the past? What does Gaman mean to Japanese culture today?

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/31/170781602/graffitied-gnomes-allowed-to-roam-on-oakland-utility-poles 2.

2.  What are being painted on utilty poles all voer Oakland?  Why are they being painted and what do they represent?  Why do you think the painter prefers to be anonymous?  Why does this anonymous painter do what he does?

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139086119/in-india-snake-charmers-are-losing-their-sway

3.  Briefly describe what snake charming is and explain why the practice is controversial.  Do Snake Charmers have a future in India?  Do you agree with the practice of snake-charming as a traditional folk art?  Should the practice be discontinued?  Why or why not?