Shadowing the life of an American Student.......

This is Dawson and Me with Macy

Today instead of doing my normal school routine I decided to shadow a student to all his classes to experience the life of an American student. It turned out to be an exciting and learning experience. The student whom I shadowed was Dawson, an 8th Grader ( 14 years old). He was handsome and had blue sparkling eyes.... He was warm and very respectful in his own ways. I got along very well with him within a few minutes.. The classes he had today was English reading (Honors), Mathematics, Social Science( History), Science, English writing, music and Bible Studies. 

  

Technology made the lessons easier to understand

I followed  him to all the classes and had great opportunities to observe different teaching styles of different teachers.  Different teachers had different styles in handling their students and all of them had the aura of their own… some teachers made sure the students remained quiet throughout their lessons, some had amazing group activities and made sure students were engaged and some had great ICT skills that they made learning so simple. One similarity I noticed among the teachers was, they were all using technology during their lessons and I am sure they were not doing it because I was there as the teachers were not aware I was shadowing Dawson and gave a surprise look when I showed up in their classrooms with Dawson, however they were very welcoming. They did not use any specific software, but exploited whichever software  or online tools which was free and available. It was easy for the teachers as these softwares/tools were not so complicated and made their lives easy.

Dawson, do not have fixed classmates, his classmates differs from one lesson to another lesson based on their ability and the previous year’s results, and the school do not have uniformed lessons as well. The lessons differ from one class to another depends on students’ learning ability. For example, If a student is in English Reading(honors) class, it means this class is for students who have higher level of understanding texts where at this level they learn to study literature deeper. They study  Charles Dicken's, Great expectations which is meant for higher level, where as the weaker ones will not study Charles Dickens but a simpler one which help to build their ability to understand texts better.

I did not shadow Dawson to his bible studies as it was conducted in a church nearby; in America religious studies are not allowed to be conducted in the school compounds as to respect and not influence students of other religions and it is not compulsory. They truly practice 'respect all religions' policy.

Different lessons at different classes

My day ended with a happy note......

Malaysians' Ways of Lives to the Eyes of American Children...

Today was another interesting day for me as I had the opportunity to carry out my first lesson with the 8th graders at Riverside Middle School and the topic of my lesson was Introduction to Malaysia and the Malaysian culture. During my lesson I shared several things about Malaysia with the students. I talked about the Malaysians’ ways of greetings, their festivals and the sumptuous food found in Malaysia.

Besides, I also shared some information about the two schools that I have worked with in Malaysia; SMK Bintulu and MGS, Ipoh. The students were very excited to learn about something that was completely alien to them.

The Traditional Malay Ways of Greeting

I was taken aback when the students did not know anything about Malaysia. They had a lot of questions about our food, people and also culture. I had weird response from them too when I told them that we also celebrate Christmas in Malaysia….a student stated “ You celebrate Christmas in Malaysia?”…They did not know that we have Christians who celebrate Christmas.....

The students seemed to enjoy the lesson as I did some demonstration on how to greet the people here during their festivals and the traditional Malay style of greeting. The students were active and inquisitive learners, so they bombarded me with so many questions, the one hour lesson was just not enough to describe everything about Malaysia...….

All together I had five hours lesson with five different classes, repeating the same thing about Malaysia, at the end of the day I was very tired, but at the same time I was very happy as I had a sense of achievement….the experiences that I have gained all these while through various courses and training sessions as well as my debating skills has helped me to brave through my lessons today.

I am looking forward for my next lessons to see what I can learn from the students and also teachers at the Riverside Middle school who seem to be very excited to have us with them… at least they get a break from their 5 or 6 hours lesson routine that they have every day…  I will soon share about the teachers’ routine in US…

see yaa....!!

First Day Teacher Internship in an American School........

It was a bright sunny day, the sky was a soft shade of blue and there was a slight breeze in the air. I stepped out of the cab that was sending us for our teacher internship right in front of the entrance of  Riverside Middle School. I did not know why, my heart was thumping really hard that it could jump out .. perhaps it was because that was my first day in a completely different environment as a teacher,,,, other teacher interns were equally nervous as all of them we very quiet in the cab. 

       Once we were inside the school building, we were shown our way to the office to meet the principal Dr.Kevin Black, a charismatic man in his forties who has shown high leadership skills in Riverside Middle and gained the highest esteem from the teachers there. I did notice at my first glance that he was a man who lead by example. I saw him running the school with great care and concern. He was rather very friendly and warm to the students. One thing I noticed about him was when he needed some students to arrange the chair at the assembly hall he called them in and arranged the chairs with them ( something that I have never seen in Malaysia, where principals only give orders and never lifted a finger.......,oppps no offence).  His exemplary acts are followed by the teachers as well. 

            During the assembly we were asked to introduce ourselves, we did but the students did not seemed to respond while we were introducing ourselves, there was a pin drop silence at the assembly hall and all their eyes were on us.. Despite the jitters, I  put a brave front and introduced myself to the students... I think they were told to keep quiet and watch their manners as they were all very quiet( we used to do that in Malaysia when we have visitors right?)....hahahahahaha

After the assembly ended we were approached by some students and they welcomed us in their american accent and asked more things about our countries till they were shooed away by a disciplinarian.. One thing I notice during my first day was the students do not greet their teachers with a 'good morning' or 'good afternoon' but with a simple 'hi' or 'hey' and the teachers seem to be okay with that.( In Malaysia, the "goods"is a must to show respect right? well that's our asian culture)

I was then approached by Miss. Wendy Hawkins and she informed me that my teacher partner Ms. Sharon was unable to come to school and  she will be my teacher partner till Ms. Sharon comes back. So I followed her to her class. Since it was my first day of internship, all I did was introducing myself to the students and sit and observe Ms. Wendy Hawkins. It was a great experience to be with Miss. Hawkins on my first day of internship because Ms. Hawkins has won the ‘Teacher of The Year’ award several times in the district and state. She shared her files, her lesson plans, the syllabus and also her modules generously, she even allowed me to make copies of her materials.... Such a great generosity!!!!!!!!!

Ms.Hawkin's Awards 

Ms. Hawkins teaches writing to 8^th grade students (Form 2 in Malaysia). Her teaching style is completely different and in USA they are definitely using the 21^st century teaching skills and she limits her role as a guide and facilitator in the class and allow students to explore the ideas on their own using laptops and other gadgets. Her writing lessons start with a simple short journal writing activity related to the topics/theme that they are learning and she continues her lesson with her current lesson. Currently she is piloting project based learning, where students are required to read, adopt and adapt articles form certain sites on the internet. Students are required to complete a four paged guided report based on their research on internet and their final work will be composition based on the knowledge that they have gained from their research they did on the internet. It was really, really interesting…In Malaysia, we have always seen that teachers including me  can start and complete one essay writing activity in just two - periods but here in US one writing lesson can be stretched to weeks, they really stress on the quality of writing by making sure students know what they are writing. Right now I am thinking of adapting this project- based learning activity in Malaysia once I am back and it is going to be exciting to bring back something worth it … at least for those who are thinking that I am having a holiday now they know that I am actually doing something beneficial here…hahahaha…..

American textbooks and teacher guide manuals 

Back to the American classroom, Ms. Hawkin’s classroom is very organised and she loves blue, so she decorated her classroom in blue which was eyes - soothing. I loved the arrangement. The number of her students in her class is about 20 to 25. I was told that a maximum number of students she supposed to have is only 25 and cannot be more than that. Being a teacher for 18 years she organizes her classroom so well and her students seem to love her so much… I did not see any errand offenders on my first day.. the kids seem to be very loving and fun. I saw some cheeky ones too who seem to be excited to see us and tried to crack jokes….I just laughed although I did not know what they were saying…hahahaha

The American classroom is so cool.........

 My first day was really  awesome and looking forward to go to school again and carry out my 1^st lesson which will be about Malaysia…I am excited and will share once I am done with it…..

English Language Diagnostic Test

This is a copy of the English Language Diagnostic Test for Form 1 students conducted in my school recently. I have uploaded it here for sharing. Please click on the following links to download.

Diagnostic test
Scheme

List of Interesting Words in English

I found this amazing article while browsing the internet searching for teaching materials.

As the cliché goes, 'English is a funny language' because of its inscrutable structure. The very funny English language has eccentricities that seem incomprehensible at times. Solving a puzzle from the New York Times sometimes makes you wonder about 'abstruse glut of antediluvian perorations, if the newspaper's profligacy of neologisms and shibboleths ever set off apoplectic paroxysms in you, if it all seems a bit recondite, here's a reason to be sanguine'; the English language has an insurmountable data of interesting words for its readers. Here's a list of interesting words in English that will help to improve your puzzle-solving techniques, vocabulary and so you can have productive things to do at home.

Interesting Words List

Agrestic: Someone who is rude, uncouth and uncultured.
Ubiquitous: Which seems everywhere or omnipresent.
Ecdysiast: A striptease artist.
Bailiwick: An area of interest, activity or authority.
Insinuation: A malicious implication.
Animadversion: A harsh critical remark.
Epistemology: Related to philosophy, which studies the science of how we know things.
Banal: Boring, rudimentary, something that is not original.
Godspeed: Success or fortune.
Schadenfreude: Sadistic pleasure derived from someone's misfortune.
Porphyrophobia: Fear of the color purple.
Senescence: Growing old or aging.
Euphony: Bearable or agreeable sound.
Quixotic: Extremely romantic and chivalrous.
Jocularity:Funny or joking speech; joking behavior
Mendacity: A pretense; a false appearance.
Obloquy: An oral or verbal abuse towards a person.
Ribaldry: Behavior inclining towards indelicacy.
Heebie-Jeebies: Nervous jitters.
Corpulent: Extremely fat.
Ennui: Boredom or joblessness.
Callipygian: Well toned buttocks.
Penultimate: Next to last.
Kakistocracy: Government chosen by the worst class of citizens.
Uxorious: Extremely submissive to one's wife.
Ichthyophagous: One that feeds on fish.
Hebetudinous: One who lacks mental stimulation, dull-minded, very lethargic.
Mammiferous: Having mammary glands.
Tatterdemalion: A shabbily dressed person.
Jejune: Nothing interesting; rudimentary.
Solipsism: It is a philosophical belief that only the self exists.
Hedonism: A belief that happiness is the only good thing in life.
Hiatus: A break; a pause.
Hispid: Coarse bristle like hair, especially of animals or plants.
Perspicacious: To have a very good judgment.
Condign: A well deserved punishment.
Deipnosophist: A person with excellent dinner table conversation skills.
Eleemosynary: Pertaining to charity.
Pareidolia: A psychological phenomenon, wherein a person has the notion of seeing faces of people in clouds, hearing hidden messages and other such unusual feelings.
Pleonasm: Use of redundant words.
Syzygy: Linear alignment of 3 celestial bodies (the sun, the moon and the earth).
Tmesis: Separating parts of a word by using another word.
Pilgarlic: A bald head.
Sesquipedalian: Using long words.
Sciolism: Superficial and pseudo knowledge.
Stegophilist: A person who climbs buildings for the sake of fun.

Lost Interesting Words

Acrasial: Short tempered or ill tempered.
Adimpleate: To fill up; to make something full.
Aeipathy: Continued love or passion for something or someone.
Bajulate: To take the burden of; bear the burden.
Boscaresque: A scenic woodland; picturesque.
Buccellation: The art of making small morsels.
Coakatively: Artificially.
Ecstasiate: To enter an ecstatic level.
Exipotic: A purgatorial process.
Fallaciloquence: A pretentious speech.
Foppotee: A simpleton.
Gnathonize: To flatter someone.
Graviloquence: A sad or grave speech.
Homerkin: An outdated measure for beer.
Ictuate: To put stress on; to emphasize.
Jobler: Someone who does petty jobs.
Kexy: Dry and brittle.
Lignicide: An ancient word for woodcutter.
Misqueme: To offend or displease.
Nepheliad: A sky nymph.
Obstrigillate: To resist; refuse; protest.
Phalerate: Decorated; made beautiful.
Quadrimular: A phenomenon lasting for four years.
Rhodologist: A person who studies and classifies roses.
Sacricolist: A devoted worshiper.
Tecnolatry: Act of idolizing children.
Vacivity: Hollow or emptiness.

Funny Interesting Words

How could a funny language not have a list of some interesting words. Here are some amusingly funny words.

Conundrum: A difficult problem or a situation.
Oxymoron: Contradictory terms.
Hubris: Overbearing pride.
Caveat: A warning; notice.
Kvetch: Complain constantly.
Capricious: Acting on whims; impulsive.
Facetious: Humorous; jocular.
Loquacious: Talkative; trivial conversation.
Anomaly: Abnormal; irregular.
Sycophant: A person who tries to gain an advantage by pleasing someone.

Why 'Y' Makes Interesting Words

The letter 'Y' is regarded as both a consonant and as vowel, depending on the pronunciation of the word. Here's a list of words wherein the letter plays the role of only a vowel. It is the interchangeable role of the letter that makes these words interesting.

By: Means of; with the help of; used while specifying dimensions.
Dry: The act of removing moisture.
Fly: Travel or move through air.
Fry: Cook in a hot pan with oil.
Gypsy: A nomad living the tribal way.
Hymn: A song of praise for the Lord.
Lymph: A bodily fluid.
Lynch: To kill or hurt without legal sanction.
Lynx: A wild cat with a short tail.
Myth: A baseless story.
My: Possessive pronoun used to show belonging of an object.
Ply: Give the desired or needed.
Pygmy: A small (height) person.
Pyx: A chest in which coins are kept.
Rhythm: A musical beat with regular intervals.
Shy: Short of; lacking confidence.
Sky: The outer space, appears blue in color when viewed from the earth's surface.
Spry: Moving swiftly.
Spy: To watch secretly.
Sylph: A graceful and slender young woman.
Try: Attempt.
Tryst: Date with opposite gender.
Wry: Sarcastic in a humorous way.

Longest Interesting Words

The English language has a list of longest words that make them a part of this list. A list of interesting especially the longest interesting words.

Floccinaucinihilipilification: To describe something worthless.
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis: According to Oxford English Dictionary, a factitious word alleged to mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust, causing inflammation in the lungs.'
Honorificabilitudinitatibus: This long word was coined by Shakespeare which means 'the state of being able to achieve honors'.
Antidisestablishmentarianism: This is the longest non-coined and non-technical English word which was found in 19th to oppose the 'disestablishment of the Church of England as the state church of England'.

Hope this article has helped you quench your thirst for interesting words. Every word in English language is interesting if it is used according to the rules of English grammar. Thus, making a list of interesting words would mean writing amusing words in the dictionary. Learn the above listed words one day at a time and try to use it in your day-to-day routine. Sure, this can be one of the most fun thing to do with friends when you are bored.

Taaaaaaaaaaaa!

Sri Aman

Sri Aman is a market town and port, and the capital of Sri Aman and Sri Aman Division in Sarawak, east Malaysia.

Sri Aman is also called Bandar Sri Aman, and was formerly known as Simanggang. Sri Aman in the Malay language means "town of peace ." Located on the Lupar River, it is 193 kilometers, a three hour drive, from Kuching the capital city of Sarawak. It is a trade center for the timber, oil palm, rubber, and pepper of its mostly agricultural district.

Sri Aman is famous for the benak, or tidal bore, of the Batang Lupar River. The tidal bore comes in from the river mouth and fills up the river very rapidly in the course of about 10 minutes. The wave crest at Sri Aman is up to 2 to 3 metres high. This is one of approximately 400 rivers and estuaries in the world where this phenomenon happens. There is a timetable at the river which has the time and dates for when the tidal bore will occur, but the really big ones occur only a couple of times a year. The author Somerset Maugham almost lost his life at Simanggang during one of these tidal bores, and commemorated the event in his short story Yellow Streak.

Sri Aman is also a gateway for tourists to the Batang Ai National Park and cultural tours to the Iban longhouses along the rivers.

Guided Writing My Way

when I started teaching I often find it to be difficult to teach writing as students really hated writing.My Students often do not complete their homework especially if it is writing homework. On the other hand, I really had difficulties in correcting their compositions as the same mistakes are repeated over and over again in every compositions.With this in my mind i tried to come out with and effective way to teach writing ans this is how I  am teaching guided writing to my students. I call it chain - map strategy. This method really helps them to construct the sentences correctly and improve their writing skill. I prepare pthe outline for them based on the questions and i always require them to complete the outline before discussing the composition. During discussion the students will corect their sentences and this help them to improve ther structure. Through this way students will learn a large deal and improve in their writing and we teachers do not need to spend so much time marking their essay. Currently I am doing my action research on this method.

Teaching Fatigue

I would like to share something interesting from The Star files


Teaching requires commitment just as a marriage does. Over the time, some teachers become indifferent to work. However, all is not lost, if they reflect and evaluate the choices.

When I read the article “Marriage Fatigue” (StarTwo, June 2), I couldn’t help but compare how similar the fatigue among married couples described by her is to the work fatigue teachers experience, after they’ve given up teaching for a long time.

First things first. What was the article about? Well, it was about the symptoms of marital burnout and how surreptitiously they creep into a mature marriage and destroy its very fabric.

The symptoms described were a sense of emptiness and quietude in the marriage which were often the result of the absence of “affection and involvement”.

According to the article, if couples who have been married a long time no longer have a sense of shared purpose and have lost their sense of “we-ness”, then the marriage is on dangerous ground. Going on living together, but being separately “lost, lonely and depressed” is an indication of marital fatigue.

When each is too tired to try to make the relationship work, the marriage drifts and the couple may even split.

Getting into teaching is a lot like getting into a marriage. There are ups and downs, good patches and bad, love and hate, zest and deflation, times when you’re up and swinging, and times when you’re zapped and tired.

If marriage requires commitment, so does teaching. As a teacher, you are honour-bound to your students and the vocation you have chosen.

With each passing year, you might feel bogged down by professional demands, work ethics and the huge moral responsibility teaching exacts from you.

If marriage needs constant adjustment and dedicated effort to make it work, so does teaching.

If things don’t work out in a marriage, you’re forced to reflect and evaluate the choices open to you, and then consider whether your marriage is worth being in.

Similarly, when you’re a teacher, in every class you walk into, you have to be introspective. What works? What doesn’t? Why?

When things fall apart, whose fault is it? Can it be helped? Who needs to change? How? If necessary, are you willing to adopt a different approach?

If you aren’t, then what’s going to happen? What are the risks involved for every decision you make? Who ends up with the shorter end of the stick?

Talking about marital fatigue, the article highlighted a 60-year-old man who finally left his marriage of 33 years, once he retired.

Having lived years of separate lives, he found his marriage empty and devoid of meaning.

Finding no spark to rekindle his marriage, having no desire to court his wife again and realising there was no common vision for the future, he left.

For a couple to stay married happily ever after, the trick is to shift from “resolving conflict” in the early years to “enhancing intimacy” in the twilight ones. So says relationship researcher and emeritus professor of psychology from the University of Washigton, John M. Gottman.

Back to teaching. Don’t you see now why some older teachers feel the embers dying within themselves?

They come to work feeling dull and tired because they no longer feel the sense of purpose they once felt.

They see teaching life as empty and meaningless — a process of simply going through the motions.

Technically speaking, such teachers should leave the profession, but many plod on to retirement simply because they refuse to acknowledge the rut they are in.

The “marriage” is dead but they’ve been in it so long that they do not even know what to do without it.

Isn’t it sad when long years of teaching translate into inertia and apathy?

To survive the teaching profession and to enjoy being in it right up to the ripe age of 58, which is the new retirement age offered by the government, the same principles which apply to marriage should be applied here too.

For one thing, the spark must not be allowed to die. Do not let indifference take over. Do not become jaded and non contributive.

In teaching, remain affected and involved. Get into things. Build up good times you can share with your students and your colleagues.

Think purposefully as to where your teaching life is headed. If you are a dull, dreary teacher who seems to be the one who has given up on teaching, stop and think. Are you simply marking time to retire? You shouldn’t.

To make the twilight years of your teaching life meaningful, it is you and only you who can make the difference

by Nithya sidhu
The Star 3/08/2008

MARKING SCHEME FOR ENGLISH PAPER 2 (PMR 2012)

I have made changes to the existing PMR marking scheme to fit the latest format as there are a few changes made in paper 2 PMR English language. However, this marking scheme is not the official marking scheme from KPM or LPM. This is a marking scheme that I altered from the old one. If there is an official marking scheme for the latest format, I will share it here.Please click the link below to download the marking scheme that I have uploaded. Any suggestions to improvise the marking scheme will be welcomed.

Marking Scheme Paper 2

English Brainstormers

Dear all,

I believe in sharing, with that in mind I am sharing one of the most interesting books that I have ever downloaded. The book provides interesting ideas for brainstorming activities...these activities can become your "set induksi" ....the activities can be modified according to your students ability....so take it or leave it hahahahaha....if you are interested click on the cover of the book below.....




Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho!!!

Have a blessed Christmas with your family.....May God bless you with all the happiness on earth

Sukatan Pelajaran Kurikulum Bersepadu SM

Given to you here is the KBSM English Language Syllabus and The EST Syllabus. Happy downloading!!!!!!!!!!!

Sukatan Pelajaran KBSM
Sukatan Pelajaran EST

Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Bahasa Inggeris

Hi everyone, I would love to share the curriculum specifications to help in preparing for your lessons. I'm uploading these as ESL teachers, new and old will be looking for curriculum specifications during the school holidays to prepare for their lessons next year. To ease your burden, the Englishvibes team has decided to upload curriculum specifications for all the secondary levels including remove classes and also for EST.. Happy Downloading.......


Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Form 1
Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Form 2
Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Form 3
Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Form 4
Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Form 5
Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran Remove class
Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran EST

To do....

I have a list of things to do before I take off for my Deepavali Holidays.....

a) Prepare reports for the coming AGM ( School Koperasi) on 1 November 2011
b) Complete my PLBS report.
c) Finalise PMR sample essays for 2012
d) Prepare the Final report for my action research
e) Complete the 'Project River" - BCCC project done with class 2A with the help of another teacher Miss Nurshiah Kurshi..thanks to her.. she has been a real help...
f) Complete Scheme of work 2012 form form 1, 2 and 3
g) Complete my module - 'Proverbs with Mohana" - to be used next year and will be conducting a research on the effectiveness of the module.

English Language Teaching Resources

I would like to share some ELT resources which might be useful for both Primary and secondary teachers who are looking for suitable teaching materials. You may use refer to the resources to improve you teaching methods and make your lesson more interesting but please be a follower before downloading the materials

Thank you


.....Happy Teaching!!



macmillan - language practice - english grammar & vocabulary.pdf

Dictionary of Idiomatic Phrases

I found an amazing e-book ( amazing for me for others I do not know) from one of the inconspicuous websites. What is amazing about this book? Well, it was published in 1891 and some of the phrases used in this book is something that I have never heard or read before.....I couldn't wait to share this e-book here.. you may download by clicking on the link below ;


Dictionary of Idiomatic phrases