We had a blustery end to March. Did it go out like a lion or did April sneak in a day early with those famous April showers that bring May flowers? You make the call!
Beware! April first is April Fool's Day. Look out for pranks and hoaxes. You have all day to prepare the perfect prank. Just be sure to shout, "April Fool!" Don't think that April Fool's Day is just an individual activity, use your Google Maps. Google will be bringing back the popular Ms. Pac-Man version for the day. Look out for other hoaxes.
April Fool's Day: Don't Trust Anything
Bored Panda Top 25 April Fool's Jokes
and here is a great April Fool's prank by a teacher: Spelling Test
Don't miss the end of March Madness on April 1 (not April Fool...It is April and still we are having March Madness) on CBS starting at 6:09 when South Carolina plays Gonzaga and then at 8:49 when Oregon plays UNC (or University of North Carolina). These semifinals are known as the Final Four. The championship game is April 3.
Have a happy spring break.
Meetings and classes will resume on April 11.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
We read and discussed Acts 14:8-15:21. In the first part of the readings, we read about the travels of Paul and Barnabas. When they shared the good news with the people of Lystra and healed a crippled man, the people wanted to call them "gods" and give them sacrifices. Paul and Barnabas corrected them and pointed out that they were messengers from "the living God, who made heaven and earth sea and everything in them...who provides you with plenty of food and fills our hearts with joy (14:17)." Some Jews came to town and convinced the Lycaonians that they were blasphemers, so the people stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead. When the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. We talked about how this was an amazing and gracious act that took guilt from the people and strengthened them. Paul and Barnabas traveled throughout the area and then took a boat back to Antioch where they began bringing their mission to full circle. They reported to the church how the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles. In Acts 15:1-21 the church calls to Paul to come to a conference to decide whether or not people who were not Jewish as a heritage were required to follow the covenant laws (particularly circumcision). When everyone heard that God blessed the Gentiles with the gift of the Holy Spirit, they were very happy. Peter spoke up and said that since God didn't make any distinction between the Gentiles or the Jews in accepting and that "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." They came to the decision that following the traditions of the Jews would not be necessary. It isn't traditions and acts that save, but believing that God loves us and cares for us and saves us through Jesus. This is the first council meeting of the church. It is significant since it removes all barriers that humans would choose to put between us and God.
April 11: Let's read the rest of Acts 15 and into Acts 16
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We made our beautiful branches. It was fun to make this simple and very inexpensive project and enjoy very casual conversation.
April 11: Let's dye Easter eggs.
Bring white, hard boiled eggs and we will color eggs and talk about Easter traditions.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 201.
We enjoyed more poetry. We read the lighthearted, When Daddy Fell Into the Pond. We listened to and discussed the slam poetry What do Teachers Make. We discovered that even though the language may be simple, it is sometimes hard to understand poetry because we don't have a full appreciation for the culture and common experience behind the story being told. We talked about how slang and language evolution can impact our understanding, also. Shakespearean English differs from modern English just as American English differs from British English, but we did talked about the fact that there are universal truths that we all face that include: love, pride, honor, fear, humor...and poetry taps into these emotions using rhythm and structure of the language.
April 12: Let's talk about pages 2 and 3 in Easy English News. Also, We will read page 5 about Langston Hughes, American Poet.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
We had quite the potpourri of English this week in our classes. Levels 1, 3 and Conversation met to listen and talk with Dr. Carrie Haifeng Xu who is a dentist at Care Dental. Dr. Xu told us that most dental problems are preventable with good care that includes brushing every eight hours (at least twice a day) and flossing at least once a day. She told us that dental problems are treatable and curable. Because most dental problems are caused by bacteria and effect our entire immune system, we can have other problems including heart disease. In many hospitals, patients can not have transplants until periodontal disease is resolved because the patient has a greater opportunity for death and organ rejection because of the bacterial infections in the teeth and gums can easily become bloodborne. Dr. Xu was so interesting to listen to and had many great answers. Interestingly enough, everyone could follow the discussion and the conversation across all of the levels.
Level 2 struggled with subject and verb agreement with nouns that are the same whether they are singular or plural.
For example: There is/are sheep on the hill.
When there isn't an article (a, the) paired with the noun, then we assume that the noun is plural. The answer here is "There are sheep on the hill." Otherwise the sentence would be "There is a sheep on the hill."
Now, how about this one: There is/are many a sheep on the hill.
Don't get tricked. Someone may talk about "many a sheep" which is a plural noun because of the "many". The answer: There are many a sheep on the hill.
pranks: a practical joke for fun
hoaxes: a plan to deceive
resume: continue
"quotation (additional information).": when a period is included within the quotation it completes the thought of the quotation. When a period is included outside the quotation (In this sentence "for example". The thought is part of a larger statement. Be careful with all your punctuation!
came to town: arrive in a place; when someone comes to town it is usual something grand
blasphemers: people who lie about God
gracious: forgiving
door of faith was opened: people who were not Jews were taught about God's love and that they had direct access to God
conference: meeting
lighthearted: fun, happy
full appreciation: complete understanding of a situation or story
common experience: culture, normal everyday events that make up a way of living
Shakespearean: like that in the plays of William Shakespeare
universal truths: ideas that are true no matter who you are
potpourri: (PO-po-ree) pleasant mix
preventable: something doesn't happen because of other action
treatable: able to be corrected
curable: made whole or healthy
disease: sickness, not healthy
periodontal disease: gum disease
resolved: fixed or finished
bloodborne: carried in the bloodstream
how about: consider
No comments:
Post a Comment