A. Wisdom
Is having wisdom important? Do you see yourself as a wise person? Did you have a wise person as a tutor in your life?
Confucius once said that there were three ways to learn wisdom: "First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." Gaining wisdom, the most prized of virtues across almost all cultures, is an exercise in life learning, careful analysis, and thoughtful action.
Is having wisdom important? Do you see yourself as a wise person? Did you have a wise person as a tutor in your life?
Confucius once said that there were three ways to learn wisdom: "First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." Gaining wisdom, the most prized of virtues across almost all cultures, is an exercise in life learning, careful analysis, and thoughtful action.
1. What is wisdom?
2. What does being wise mean?
3. Can you name any well-known people who you think are wise?
Watch the following video and listen attentively what people say about wisdomTrascript of the video: http://fr.scribd.com/doc/98393611/wisdom-trailer-transcript
B. What are you thankful for?
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect upon one's year or even lifetime and give thanks for the things that one has or has experienced.
Watch the following video and take note on all of the things that people are thankful for and identify the top 3 things that most people quoted
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A. Barilla screaming for help. Save the Pasta!
Listen to the following podcast and answer the questions below:
Podcast: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=2&t=1&islist=false&id=158565443&m=158589956
Transcript: open this file ONLY if you have some serious difficulties understanding the program and can not answer the questions below _ http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=158565443
- Provide a 2-3 minute summary of the story: who are the actors, where is this taking place, what is interesting about the story
- Was the problem?
- What were some of the measures that the plant manager took in order to solve the issues?
- They talk about an employee getting fired. Why did he get fired?
- Do you think that these measures could work in France? Why or why not?
Task: write a simple 3-4 minute speech where you play the role of the general manager at Barilla and announce a new policy at the company to prevent absenteeism. Please make sure that to work in an incentive for employees that do not call in sick very often or not at all during a year. The speech should contain the following:
- A clear explanation of the policy including citing WHY this is being put in place by the company
- Examples of how this would work
- Incentives for people that are not absent and possible penalties for those that do not abide by the new policy.
- Effective date of the new policy
B. Listening and comprehension exercise: The key secrets of success
Watch and listen to the following video and answer the questions below
Watch and listen to the following video and answer the questions below
- How did the speaker come up with the topic of this talk?
- List the 8 secrets and explain them
- Do you agree with all 8 secrets? Why or why not?
- Did anything surprise you? Did you learn something new?
- Can you think of any instances in your life when you apply all or several of these key factors to succeed? Maybe to get a job, to run a race, etc. Explain
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Video Games Rock!!!!
You thought that video games were really bad for you. Think again! Watch this fascinating video on the positive effects of video games on your brain. Yes, that's right. Video games can be good for you unlike you hear on TV.
For this exercise, please watch the majority of this video making sure to write as many notes as possible about this topic. Then, the task is as follows:
* note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, "fax" ends in the letter "x" but the sound /s/; "like" ends in the letter "e" but the sound /k/.
You thought that video games were really bad for you. Think again! Watch this fascinating video on the positive effects of video games on your brain. Yes, that's right. Video games can be good for you unlike you hear on TV.
For this exercise, please watch the majority of this video making sure to write as many notes as possible about this topic. Then, the task is as follows:
- You have been assigned to lead a discussion about this topic in front of parents in your community. You should spend no less than 8 minutes to explain this topic ensuring to give ample examples to the audience for them to understand it better.
- You have been assigned by a group of parents that heard you speak about this topic, to lead a discussion with children between the ages of 9 - 13 about the pros and cons of playing video games. While you do not want to encourage them to spend too much time playing video games, you want to transmit the message that video games have the potential to enhance the way our brain works. Give kids good arguments for them to talk to their parents and convince them that video games are not bad for them. You should spend around 8 minutes to build your case with kids and get them excited about this new discovery.
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How to Pronounce -ed in English
The past simple tense and past participle of all regular verbs end in -ed. For example:
| base verb (v1) | past simple (v2) | past participle (v3) |
|---|---|---|
| work | worked | worked |
In addition, many adjectives are made from the past participle and so end in -ed. For example:
- I like painted furniture.
The question is: How do we pronounce the -ed?
| If the base verb ends in one of these sounds: | example base verb*: | example with -ed: | pronounce the -ed: | extra syllable? | |
| unvoiced | /t/ | want | wanted | / Id/ | yes |
| voiced | /d/ | end | ended | ||
| unvoiced | /p/ | hope | hoped | / t/ | no |
| /f/ | laugh | laughed | |||
| /s/ | fax | faxed | |||
| /S/ | wash | washed | |||
| /tS/ | watch | watched | |||
| /k/ | like | liked | |||
| voiced | all other sounds, for example... | play | played | / d/ | |
| allow | allowed | ||||
| beg | begged | ||||
* note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, "fax" ends in the letter "x" but the sound /s/; "like" ends in the letter "e" but the sound /k/.
- he aged quickly /d/
- he blessed me /t/
- they dogged him /d/
- he has learned well /d/ or /t/
The pronunciation depends on the sound at the end of the infinitve of the main verb and whether it is voiced or not.
| /Id /infinitives that end in the sounds /t/ or /d/ | / d / infinitives that end in a voiced sound | / t / infinitves that end in an unvoiced sound |
| needed hated dated seated | lived chilled enjoyed tried | shopped picked wished crunched |
Regular Past Tense Verb Pronunciation Practice
Read the following dialogue. Write the phonetic symbol representing the sound
of the ed-ending above each past tense verb. Check your answers. Practice the
dialogue aloud with a partner. Be sure to carefully pronounce all past tense
endings!
Kathy: Tom, have you started your diet? I hope you haven’t gained weight.
Tom: I boiled eggs and sliced celery for lunch.
Kathy: Have you exercised at all?
Tom: I walked 5 miles and jogged in the park.
Kathy: Have you cleaned the house? Calories can be worked off that way.
Tom: I washed and waxed the floors. I even painted the bathroom.
Kathy: Who baked this apple pie? Who cooked this ham?
Tom: When I finished cleaning, I was starved. I prepared this food for dinner.
Kathy: Oh, no! I’ll take this food home so you won’t be tempted .
I really enjoyed being with you. You diet is great!
Tom: What happened? Somehow, I missed out on all the fun.
Exercise:
Exercise:
Take this list of words and decide if the final consonants are voiced or voiceless. Once you have made your decision, click on the link to check the answers (or, if you are listening, I will provide the answers in the audio):
washed
traveled
coats
gloves
shells
watched
started
changed
books
wheels
lived
dreams
seats
dropped
exchanged
globes
phones
carts
listened
organized
traveled
coats
gloves
shells
watched
started
changed
books
wheels
lived
dreams
seats
dropped
exchanged
globes
phones
carts
listened
organized
Now, let's put it to work. Read the following article excerpt paying close attention to the pronunciation of the regular verbs
Enjoy Eating
In a recent exploratory study, Dr. Cunningham asked medical residents to rate the degree to which they found each of their daily activities to be stressful, resource-straining and resource-replenishing. "Eating during work hours was the one activity that was rated only as replenishing, and tremendously valuable to them," he says.
Nutritionists have long asserted that eating small amounts throughout the day helps maintain a level metabolism. And most people have experienced the sluggishness that follows a heavy midday meal.
"It's certainly not advised to have a Thanksgiving feast for lunch," says Dr. Cunningham. "Then again, you should give yourself a chance to be fascinated with the world around you—and enjoying your food can do that."
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