All class and meeting times listed are GMT-4
Hello, Friends.
April 1 is April Fools Day. The weather played a great trick on us by snowing this year! Pranks, practical jokes and teasing are a fun part of this day. Here is a really fun video of twin pranks.
April is famous for rain showers that bring may flowers! Look for wet days to water all the beautiful plants. As the weather warms, we may be in for severe weather as the
If you are looking for Indiana Spring Break ideas look no further! Here are 13 Indiana Destinations Perfect for Spring Break Get Away without going too far from home. These ideas are perfect day trips.
Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossoms are in bloom!
- See Cherry Blossoms in Japan
- Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Watch
- Cherry Blossom Cookies
- Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding
Kids Connecting
We are to starting a Zoom group for children in elementary school. This group can meet to have conversation (in English) as well as read and talk about short (or maybe longer) stories.
The purpose of this group is to make friends and maybe work on English and literacy skills or talk about culture and customs (or anything else you can think of). Email for a Zoom link and to register your children. In the email provide your child(dren)'s name and age.
Where: Zoom
When: Twice a month, Fridays 4:30-5:00
Stories and More: Monday, 10:30-1:00 A.M.
Fairy tales are fun for all ages and are a great way to spend time with your children and learn some life lessons. These stories become a part of our language and our culture.
Reader's Digest has this list of 10 Fairy Tales for you and your children to start with along with some background behind the stories and
April 12: Celebrate and Easter hunt and get together at Carey Grove Park 10:30-11:00.
American Sign Language: Monday, 5:00-6:00 P.M.
We have a lot to review and learn over the break. There are many signs that have the same basic shape. Watching, practicing and memorizing does not help us to practically learn and apply. Creating is a great way to plug these foundational ideas.
For the break we have homework: create 10 sentences that use the same basic hand shapes. Be sure REPLY TO ALL to share your sentences with the class to enjoy and practice.
April 12: Welcome back after break! Let's talk with our hands and sign each other's sentences.
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 A.M.
This is a beautiful story of life and death and relationships and compassion. Luke 7: 11-16 tells the story of Jesus coming across a funeral for a young man. His heart goes out to the mother and he tells her "Don't cry." Jesus touches the bier and tells the young man to get up and he gives the son back to the mother (verse 15). We talked about the difficulties of letting our children go to live their lives, but the pain of having to let them go in death. We talked about how we all need someone to take care of and someone to take care of us in our stages of life. Finally, we talked of how only Jesus could bring our loved ones back to us. This story
April 13: Luke 7:18-35 is a story about Jesus and John the Baptist. Luke this account is very long, for Luke.
International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30 A.M.-112:00 P.M.
We talked about secular Easter customs in the United States (that have absolutely nothing to do with religion). These customs including dying eggs and hunting for surprises that were left by the Easter bunny. Neighborhoods and parks host Easter Egg Hunts for children. Families may have the tradition of hunting small gifts, candy, and money (hidden in plastic eggs).
Traditional Easter dinner in the U.S. varies from household to household, but they typically include ham, lamb, duck, or even turkey. Of course deviled eggs are on the menu (after dying all the eggs, you have to enjoy them).
We made a delicious cod dish that is a traditional Easter dish in Brazil. You can find the recipe here.
This week was Holy Week in the Christian church. The week ends the period of Lent or 40 days of reflection and repentance before Easter. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' triumphant ride into Jerusalem for Passover. This week churches have services on Maunday Thursday celebrates his last supper before he is tried and put to death on Good Friday. Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus' resurrection from the dead. If you have not attended a Christian service, this is a great service to visit.
April 13: Join us as we return from all of our spring breaks.
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00 P.M.
We learned to make pivot tables in Excel! Wow! This application is an exciting addition to our skill set.
April 14: Join us to learn more about Excel. What else do you want to teach and learn from each other?
English Classes: Thursday, 9:30 A.M.-12:00 P.M.
We had a group discussion and generated key points for improving our English:
- What is the goal? To understand others and to be understood.
- Accents are quirks in our speech, but people still can understand us.
- Pronunciation is when a word is said correctly including sound and cadence. If someone doesn't understand the word, then it is usually mispronounced.
- Slow down and give yourself time. Speed doesn't mean you are a better speaker.
- Think about how you might sound to others.
- Watch how people are listening to you.
- Most people want to understand and talk to you.
- Know the prepositions and how to use them. Remember that Hoosiers (and many other Americans) like to add prepositions at the end of sentences that really are not necessary.
- Use your articles: a, an, the. These little words are important.
- Know the differences between your home language and English. Be ready to correct yourself.
- When you study, avoid translating from one language to another. Instead, create concrete examples: write sentences, draw pictures.
- Be patient with yourself. You are already fluent in another language and it is easy to give up just before you make a big leap.
April 15: Back to class!
End of the Week Conversation: Friday, 10:30-12:00
We continued talking about our tips to improve our English skills. Knowing what works best for you is a important when developing any skill. Comparing yourself and your progress with others is not as productive because each of us has different needs as well as different careers so our "survival" language is different for all of us. We talked about how people try to be helpful by offering translators, not because they could not understand us but to set us at ease.
April 16: Welcome to the end of the week conversation group. Take time with us to share your thoughts from the week and get ready for the weekend!
bier: frame to carry a dead body or coffin
heart goes out: feel compassion
skill set: ability to perform a group of tasks
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