group "english practice"

[el bibi]

Hi!

May I join your group?

I don't have a good english but i want to practice it.It's too late??

[Oblivion]

Hello , Oblivion !

Is your oral English as good as your written one ?

Thank you very much Teacher

I hope it will be if I take the oral exams

Hi!

May I join your group?

I don't have a good english but i want to practice it.It's too late??

Hi,

Sure you can join us

Milla and goldenmiss gave the links to three texts on the previous page.

Every week, we sum up an article and write our summary in this thread

[lilli]

Good evening !

Here is my summary of the text about Tony Blair... I think my text presentation is a little short, but I've had some problems in understanding . So, I did what I was able to do...

I thank you in advance for correction.

This text is a very recent newspaper column (it dates from the 14th May). It sets out to explain why the popularity of Prime Minister Tony Blair is making sickly.

Firstly, this article reminds that Tony Blair, who has just been elected again, has become the most unpopular Labour's minister since the second World War. Indeed, a large part of people think that he should have left his office for a long time. As he represents the New Labour Party, all this party is slumping everywhere in Great Britain. So, the Blair fall favoures his opponents (the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats).

Even if Tony Blair has announced he will leave Parliament, it won't be before 2009, though the reporter to write that : " half of voters want him to go by the end of the year; 36% say immediately".

For fighting against public opinion, the Prime Minister tries to remind what progresses have been done owing to the Labour Party, for instance about health in Britain. But it isn't enough because of his loss of credibility. Tony Blair's compared with George W. Bush – called "his friend across the Atlantic" by the author -because of the politics led about the war in Iraq. In addition, a Tory revival with Cameron is appearing. It's a further threat for Tony Blair and his New Labour Party.

But at present, he's still Prime Minister and we can wonder how he's going to run this crisis to be again in favour. Only time will tell ..

Up to you to correct your mistakes !

all the best

Thanks for correction ! There are two points I don't understand :

- "for fighting against public opinion" (I wanted to translate "pour combattre l'opinion publique") Am I wrong with the verb choice or with gerund ?

-"though the reporter to write" (I wanted to translate the idea of "alors même que le journaliste écrit"). I don't now how to do and I need your help...

Thank you very much !

[davido]

Hello

It would be a pleasure for me to join your group

What kind of text are you working ? Where is it and which text can I work to exchange with you ?

Thanks

[lilli]

Hello

It would be a pleasure for me to join your group

What kind of text are you working ? Where is it and which text can I work to exchange with you ?

Thanks

Hi !

Milla give us 2 links where you can find texts for working. The links for this week are on the 49th page. You can choose one text, or work both. We're particularly working on journalistic texts, as newspaper columns.

Welcome !

[Milla]

Hi everybody

Here is my summary, I have chosen the first text.

This text is an article from the VOA (Voice of America) website which dates back to march, the 24th 2006. It is entitled "Washington Teacher Helps Immigrant Parents Learn English" and it was written by Faiza Elmasry.

This article highlights an idea that have had a non-profit organization "the Adult Learning Program" in 1989. The teacher Mark Faloni wanted to build "immigrant parents'skills and self-esteem".

First at all, he went from door to door, looking for students in every places he thought they could be (appartements, hopistals...) but now, his group is so well known that many organizations send him their clients.

These imigrant students learn english for a lot of reasons. The first one is to be able to really communicate in english but they also want to learn how to use a computer for the work world. Helping their children for their homeworks is really motivating.

They are so implicated in what they learn that whatever the weather is, they try to never miss a class.

Their situations are not easy because some of them work, some have very little children. But they manage to come each morning.

The class takes place in a school where children of immigrant students are learning. Instead of being embarrased by their parents, they are very proud of them. They can understand how learning is so important.

As a conclusion, the teacher explains that he was very honored to received the 2006 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year award. With that award, he feels being recognized for his work. But he adds that even if he is very proud of what he does each day, he also learn a lot from his students, from their culture, their life experience.

Reading this article reminds me a lot of memories. When I started to work after studying, I teach some persons to read and write. It was an wonderful experience. As the journalist says in this text, they were so motivated. They just wanted to learn for reading tickets in a supermarket, reading a newspaper, being able to watch if their children had done their homeworks... So many things that we do each day and that we are used to do but that we do not notice anymore. Besides, it is true that exchanges were strong about culture, life experience...

I think that it is a very enriching experience.

Thank you for reading

and as Lillie said : welcome to all

[goldenmiss]

Hi everybody!

Here is my summary about the third text : Junk food banned in school meals

This text in an article extract of BBC news published on the nineteenth of May. The title of this article is “Junk food banned in school meals”. It deals with the nutrition guide written by the England’s Education Secretary, Alan Johnson.

By this nutrition guide, he wants to improve the quality of school dinners because he thinks pupils eat meals too high in salt and fat. It can involve healthy problems like obesity.

This new nutrition guide contains two main parts.

The first part concerns fruit and vegetables.

From September, with every meal, pupils will have a minimum of two portions of fruit and vegetables whereas they’ll only be allowed to get two portions of deep-fried food per week. These healthy balanced meals will give them all they need to learn and play.

Moreover, Alan Johnson would like school teachers to teach their pupils about skills in diet and nutrition in order to change their bad food habits.

The second part is about the nutrients.

From 2008 for primary schools and from 2009 for secondary schools, schools’ll have to impose more nutrients in their school dinners.

That’s why certain food will be banned from vending machines, confectionery or snack sales.

But if you want to offer healthful meals, you have to spend much money in ingredients.

So, in primary school, you have to spend a minimum of 50p per head and in secondary school, a minimum of 60p per head for a healthful meal.

The problem is that some schools still spend as little as 41p per head per meal so it can’t be a healthy balanced meal!

Therefore, the number of young obese or overweigh has been increasing since recent years.

The article ends by studying plans elsewhere in the UK.

We can see that anywhere in United Kingdom, schools try to fight against junk food.

Thanks for reading

See you soon :P

[el bibi]

The article is entitled "washington teacher helps immigrant parents learn English". It was written by Faiza Elmasry in March.

The main topic of this text is immigrant parents who come at school to learn english. This formation is doing by a public school teacher who has received a national awards for his efforts. This formation is to help parents to be integrate into American society more easily. If they know and understand english, parents can find better jobs, have better communication and help their children with the homework.

But parents say that can be difficult to have a job and come to school, but they are very motived and they rarely miss a class.

The teacher,Mark Faloni, says that it has two classes: one for learn English as a second language and another to use computer. Majority of parents who comes in these classes are hispanic.

Parents, who come learn english, give a good example for their children and can help them succeed in school, because parents show the importance of learning.

This programm began in 1989, but at the beginning Mark Faloni gone to knock on doors to question immigrant parents if they want study english. And today this association is a real success.

According to me, this programm is very interesting becauseif we don't understand the language of the state where we live , it's very difficult to become integrate in society.

In France, some association help immigrant parents to learn french tongue , but it's not on the same time that children go to school, it's just after. And more mother , who don't work, go to school at the evening to study french with assiciations

[bigotna]

HELLO everybody

i found a bit difficult that we don't speak about the same text.

i wanted to talk about tony blair, which is an actual problem, but i didn't know where to stop.

i find the subject about da vinci code interesting. Maybe could we have a discussion about that.

And a question : during the presentation at the oral exam, will you give your opinion or not ? Some teachers say yes, others no? And what about of you?

THANKS for your suggestions.

nb

[maya59]

I have some difficulty to speak english,but i try to tell you:i believe you can give your point of you or wait the question of the examinateurs,it's as you want. (strategiquement je prefere attendre les questions des examinateurs,tu es sure qu'ils te poseront la question).

[bigotna]

of course, i think the examinators will ask us our opinion, but 5 mn to present the text is a bit long to talk about 20 lines. i fear that we repeat the ideas of the text.

nb

[maya59]

It's 5 minutes maximum,if you don't speak 5 minutes ,it's not "grave" they will "poser" some questions to evalue your english(ils ne te penalisernt pas pour ne pas avoir respecté les 5 minutes_l'an dernier en eoa j'ai parlé 8 minutes au lieu des 20 maxi,j'ai eu 13 don't worry!