group "english practice"

[lilli]

Hi everybody !

Here is my summary about "Washington Teacher Helps Immigrant Parents Learn English".

This text is a newspaper article which dates from March. So, it's rather recent.

It describes an initiative from an association in literacy promotion. This initiative is particularly turned towards immigrant families. Indeed, it's very difficult to integrate a foreign society when you can't obviously speak or understand its language. For children, it's easier because they attend school, and can learn speaking, reading and writing. Moreover, culture and customs become theirs because they grow up in this country. For parents, it's a problem. If nobody helps them , they can't have a decent job, and hope to access to a good standard of living. Marc Faloni is a primary school teacher aware about these difficulties. So, he has created an association in 1989 in order to allow these families to improve their english and their skills in I. T. Owing to his perseverance and despite of a few difficulties to begin, this association is nowadays well established and lots of parents – "most are Hispanic" says the text- call for it. Concretely, parents go back to school at the same time than their children. Several mornings a week and in all sorts of weather, they take time to attend school. They learn english and how to use a computer. They explain that it's often complicated for them to commute, but they have a real motivation, so they do. They know it's very useful for present and future and to help their children in their studies, in addition, they really appraise lessons from Marc Faloni. Furthermore, their children are very proud, what's ever a recognition.

For his work, Marc Faloni has just received the 2006 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year award. It's a pleasure for him to be rewarded, but he says that his best award is cultural and intellectual enrichment, and sharing with all these families. It's a very fine example of campaign against exclusion. Besides, as the author says, it's a very fine example of pedagogy...

Thank you, Teacher. I think it's better now, but I don't know why "what's ever a recognition" is wrong... Sould I use "which" for "what" ?

[teacher]

[uote]

Thank you, Teacher. I think it's better now, but I don't know why "what's ever a recognition" is wrong... Sould I use "which" for "what" ?

and I don't know what you mean,lilli...!

re-think your sentence : ever ou always ?

what ou which ?

is there no other way you could have said it ?

attention : the same....AS ( pas than)

[lilli]

Thank you, Teacher. I think it's better now, but I don't know why "what's ever a recognition" is wrong... Sould I use "which" for "what" ?

and I don't know what you mean,lilli...!

re-think your sentence : ever ou always ?

what ou which ?

is there no other way you could have said it ?

attention : the same....AS ( pas than)

Oh yes ! I undertand ! I'm completely wrong... I wanted to say : "which is already a recognition".

Right ?

Thank you very much, teacher !

[bigotna]

The theme of the article is political ?, it talks about the wish of british people to see Tony Blair leaving the government, but it seems that he doesn’t want to go now.

The first paragraph describes the situation for why people want him to go.

- first of all, he has been here for a too long time, 9 years

- although the Labour party has been reelected a year ago, people don’t want to see him any more

The second paragraph tells us that he has become impopular : her party is only the third on the political scene, and his score of popularity is the most little one since the second war.

In the third paragraph, some details are given to us about the date where T B could go. He personnally? didn’t give a date, or later in 2009 whereas members of his party would prefer he let his place to his successor Gordon Brown. Indeed he doesn’t help his party to have a good rate and he would rather leave now.

(…)

Scandal and doubt about his honesty (especially during the iraq war) cut his popularity.

(…)

I stopped here my study of this article

I think it’s really an actual question in England and it could be the source of questions.

I’ll try to do better last time.

Ma petite Bigotna, tu n'as pas l'air très en forme .. Anything I can do ? Cheer up

teacher,

how can we say "un trop long moment", isn't it "a too long time"?

And for "personnellement", isn't it personnally?

and how to say "bien qu'il ait été réélu" , although he had been reelected?

[goldenmiss]

Hi!!

I found new articles yesterday. So, if you want, it could be the occasion to write new summaries!!

The first article is about the Angelina Jolie and Bratt Pitt's baby

The second deals with smokers in UK

See you soon

[teacher]

[quote name=bigotna'

teacher,

how can we say "un trop long moment", isn't it "a too long time"?

And for "personnellement", isn't it personnally?

and how to say "bien qu'il ait été réélu" , although he had been reelected?

Too long a moment / such a long moment

[Oblivion]

Hi

I've chosen the text on smokers in the UK; thanks goldenmiss for the link

This document is an article from the BBC which was issued in May 2006 and is entitled Smoker poll reveals roll-up myths.

It is composed of five parts

-at the top of the document, the title is written in bold letters so as to attract the reader's attention.

-below the title is the catch-phrase whose aim is to arouse the reader's curiosity.

-in the top right-hand corner is the photograph of a man rolling tobacco.

-and finally, the article itself, in the middle of which is printed an important quote of Professor M. Jarvis that sounds like a piece of advice regarding roll-ups.

This article tackles the issue of the increasing use of rolled-up cigarettes in the UK.

The journalist's aim is to lay the stress on the received ideas smokers have on hand-rolled tobacco : he underlines the misleading reasons which led a large number of smokers to prefer roll-ups to manufactured cigarettes.

Among these reasons are the fact that it is less expensive and that, according to them, it is less toxic.

Such ideas are in total contradiction with the results of a scientific research.

The article also focuses on the fact that this increase also affects teenagers who resort more and more to other products than manufactured cigarettes.

Such a tendency can be explained by the lack of information and by deeply-rooted received ideas.

That is the reason why a campaign is to be organized in order to make people aware of the risks, to make people realize that their health is as much threatened as with manufactured cigarettes.

[teacher]

Hi

I've chosen the text on smokers in the UK; thanks goldenmiss for the link

Good work , Oblivion

Have you timed yourself ? make sure it lasts long enough !

What about the others ? COME ON ! Get back to work ....

Have you got your written results yet ? Please let me know as I have spent quite a long time with you and I feel I know you !

All the best

[Milla]

Hello everyone

Teacher, I have passed my exam, I am really happy. I have not came here for a long time because I had to focuse on my two "exposés". I've just finished them so I can work on my english now

I think that I am going to sum up a text by day.

I don't know if it is ok for everybody but I wish you have all passed. Please tell us

[bigotna]

i've passed my exam too, and i have to work on texts now very quicly, but i try also to improve my fluency language and i work on other supports in the same time.

where can we read many texts on the period from february to april?

thanks

[Milla]

Hi

I made this summary yesterday with this text :

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2187696,00.html

This article is taken from the Times website which was issued on May, the 19th 2006. It is entitled "Trainers ask : Do you really needs heads ?". The main topic of this text written by Tony Halpin who is also an education editor is that scools do not need their own head teacher but that one leader could run a group of schools.

This article could be divided into three parts :

- the first one, at the beginning, which exposes the issue.

- the second one in which the journalist explains the way the government organizes the training of these new heads and

- the third one which explains the controversy that is going to rise with this decision.

According to the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) a head teacher is not necessary for each school of the country. The NCSL states that a single leader or even a married couple could be in charge of a group of schools. They will be train by an organization : "Sandhurst for Sirs" and this idea could be the solution for having less heads than nowadays.

The National Association of Head Teachers stands against that proposition. They consider that the Government has found this idea to refuse to increase the number of people who work in schools which is completely rejected by Ministers.

Thanks for reading

[teacher]

where can we read many texts on the period from february to april?

Well done , Bigotna and Milla . What about the others ?

For texts , why don't look in the archives on BBc Site, or any other newspapers( The guardian....The times..) Vocable can be useful too .

Read your texts ALOUD. speak in English to your family every day !!

" Come on , Johan, go and get washed ! put your shoes on.. Have you done your homework , Julie? Let me see your Spanish essay ...."

Whenever you think of a new word, go and look it up in the dictionary

Look at all the vocab .used in all the summaries you you wrote over the past few months ( Oblivion uses good words )

Come on; you'll make it ;-)