Dear Friends,
I am so happy to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. May the peace and joy of Christmas fill your hearts and minds.
Find me! Christmas Eve services on Sunday beginning at 3:00 and on Christmas Day at Cornerstone Lutheran Church. 4850 E. Main Street, Carmel. | Cornerstone Lutheran Church
Gene and Carol and Scott will be there to bump into, too!
Happy Holidays, Friends.
It is less than a week until Christmas! Christkindlmarkt is open every day of this week and on Christmas Eve. make sure you get over there. Have you heard your share of Christmas songs on the radio and in the stores? Have you baked cookies and cakes? Have you gone to parties? Don't worry...There is still time to celebrate!
Of is a little word that can trip you up when talking about quantities or amounts of things. Review the rules in our Handouts. Listen for usage. Look for "of" in your daily life. Practice using the phrases in you head as you grocery shop:
Wow! We reviewed phrases and small words (and, the, for, early) and question words. Then we put our review into conversational practice. We circled back to topics several times to cement our understanding. We did not sing Silent Night, but we did talk about the words a bit.
Our meeting was a really fast an furious review and conversation. We are gravitating toward running through a list of vocabulary words that have similar meanings when we get stuck. For example, if I can't remember how to sign Thursday and need help, we have been stopping and reviewing all of the days of the week!
December 19: We will see which way the conversation goes. Anyone is welcome to join us! Jump in and practice with us. And let's practice some New Year vocabulary.
Auld Lang Syne: This version had a great deal of conversation and fingerspelling as well as the small words we use in our conversation this past week in the set up as well as in the song. Also, Dougie MacLean is the artist. Love singing accent!
There is a goldmine of advice, hope, and joy in our readings for the week. Paul's letter to the Colossians
Colossians 1: 15-20 tells the wonderful story of reconciliation with the Creator God through Jesus. Verses 21 and 22 proclaims:
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
Paul goes on to tell what to ignore and how to live. He emphasizes the difference between opinions and empty rules and the behaviors of a loving life. Paul doesn't neglect the greetings and relationships that are important for a community.
The two letters to the Thessalonians contain newsy accounts of what has happened and prayers for support.
Timothy receives advice and prayers as he ministers to others in 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. These letters are inspirations for us today and give insight into such details as dealing with deceptive people and the role and restrictions the church (or helping organizations) should take when helping.
December 19: We will finish up our discussions of the Epistles and pick up Revelation after the new year. We
A Christmas Open House at Carolyn's: Thank you to all of you who came! We had great conversation and food. Many of you have never played a Mad Libs game before. The way to play is to make up words that fit the part of speech. Then read the story with the generated words. Here are the links to the fill in the blank stories.
Here are your answers....
and here are links to the original stories.
and
December 21: Our last Zoom of 2023. It has been a good year! We will wind up the year with some songs and conversation.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas: When caroling, singers often end with this song. Great American English stuff here: the swinging cadence of the song, the pronunciations of "w", "r", smashing and dropping consonants, and so much more. Have fun wrapping up your songs.
Learn more about Auld Lang Syne, the famous New Year's song from Song Facts. In the learn and sing along (with a Scottish accent?). Start up the 2024 singing in style!
Mrs. Willard got triple booked December 15, so our meeting was cancelled.
December 22: Let's look at the time range of 1600-1800. Once again, what was happening in your corner of the world and in the world at large? Do events coincide?
Sometimes words or phrases have more than one usage.
age: a period of time marked by a particular feature or central figure (the ice age)
cement: solidify (or the material that sidewalks are made of)
circled back: return to the beginning of a topic
era: a period of a new order of things
get stuck: do not have an answer or solution
gravitating toward: tending to do or like a particular thing
heard your share of/had your share of: had a lot more than enough of something
period: a time in history different from other times because of characteristics or events (or a punctuation mark meaning the end or a women's menstrual cycle)
running through: quickly covering something (or move quickly on foot between objects)
start up: beginning
trip you up: cause someone to make a mistake
triple booked: to have three obligations at the same time
wind up: ending (but a child can get all wound up or excited)
wrap up: ending (not decorate or cover as in wrap up a present)
Hello, Friends.
The holiday season embodies American culture. Good will and festival feelings are contagious. We all get super busy and wedging in parties, events, travel. Everyone wants to touch base with each other and express friendship and love. Stress sometimes abounds! Diffuse short tempers with cookies and good cheer.
If you have not attended a Christian service during Christmas, be sure to take in a service. All are welcome! Many people attend church services where they are on vacation or visiting during the holidays. Many people only attend church on holiday dates.
Christmas is uplifting: Expect joyous songs and music; Bible readings of peace, hope, and fulfillment; prayers of welcome; beautiful decorations.
Cornerstone Lutheran Church (our host organization) offers a variety of times at the different sites. Check the schedule!
The holidays can also be a difficult time for people. As we celebrate, we miss people who have passed away or have moved away. We remember happier times or revisit times that were not . Memories of times past can be bittersweet.
Cornerstone Lutheran Church Blue Christmas Service of Hope: December 18, 6:00 PM Cornerstone Lutheran Church, 4850 East Main Street, Carmel
Blue Christmas by Elvis tells about
The Oxford dictionary posted the slang that has officially become a word: rizzler. Read more about the process and the word in this article from the Business Insider. Be ready to use it and understand it!
Things to do in Hamilton County for the holidays
Christkindlmkt in Carmel at Carter Green Wednesday through Sunday. People are talking the Christkindlmkt in Carmel! Read more about these German-style holiday fairs and about the Carmel event in the National Geographic.
And in keeping with our musical theme: here story of this Carol as well as the original German-which you may hear in different areas of the country or at a Christkindlmkt)
Holiday travel means exposure to the regional colds and flu. The CDC offers a map to help you plan and prepare for the flu and other viruses circulating in the states. Get a flu shot. Wash your hands and use sanitizer. Stay super hydrated. Take care of yourself!
We signed and sang Joy to the World. It is fun to sing along and to learn atypical vocabulary in the context of a song.
December 12: We will sing Silent Night.
Here are two deaf signers signing Jingle Bells.
The Epistles are short and reading them gives us a complete picture, but within them there are gems of wisdom and encouragement. This week the prayers for others were particularly striking in Ephesians. Ephesians 1:15-22 and Ephesians 3:14-20 teaches us how to pray for others and the results.
Ephesians 1:10 and Galatians 4:4 both teach of the events that are ordered by God to happen at the right time; specifically the sending of his Son, Jesus to save the world. This is an important message to all churches
Galatians 3:27 is the comforting love that wraps around us, and verse 28 extends that "blanket" to all people regardless of their sex, race, status.
December 12: We continue our readings and discussion. We are getting down to the wire. What started a daunting task, has been a pleasure. It is surprising how fast and fun this read has been.
We had great conversations and suggestions for our classes and meetings moving forward. Our strategy over the first trimester has been to apply memory and adult learning theory and practice meet American English needs specific to our students in within contexts and context that are relevant (learning grammar, pronunciation, accent is easy when it is applied). Let us know what you need to know as we build our curriculum content and strategy for 2024 (indyintlfriends@gmail.com).
Two of our Friends had a wonderful debate. They had a spirited and civil discussion regarding their opinions about a group and it's meetings. This great example of civil discourse.
Singing songs opened the door to grammar discussions. Check Meetings/Class Notes and Handouts for practice and explanations. Apologies for the quality of the Expressions of Quantity: Multiple pdf screen shots!
December 14, 10:00-12:00: Christmas Open House at Carolyn's. Drop by for conversation and coffee (or other food and drinks)
We had a great discussion about the Meiji Era. Our Friend wrote a great report about the industrialization of silk production in his prefecture. He wrote a wonderful report. You can read it in our Meetings/Class Notes and Handouts page.
December 15: Let's look at the Edo period. The time range for this period is1603-1838. Once again, what was happening in your corner of the world and in the world at large? Do events coincide?
semi colon and commas: use commas to separate list of words, use semi colons to separate groups of words ideas
atypical: uncommon
bittersweet: both happy and sad at the same time
circulating: traveling around or being passed from one person to another, rumors as well as sickness commonly circulate
civil: polite
civil discourse: polite conversation or discussion
diffuse short tempers: make people happy
embodies: when a thought, feeling or idea takes tangible form
good will: feelings and expressions of support and cheer
happier times: joyful past events
in the world at large: out in the world
in your corner of the world: your local area
industrialization: creating an industry
open house: stop by a location at your convenience during a specified time frame
passed away: died
read: (as a noun) the activity of someone who reads
speaking of [topical noun]
spirited: lively, exciting
take in: attend or include in an itinerary
teaches: As verbs the difference between teach and teaches is that teach is to show (someone) the way (I, you, we, they); to guide, conduct while teaches is third-person singular of teach (he, she, it).
uplifting: raising spirits
wedging in: squeezing an event into a busy schedule
Hello, Friends.
The last month of the year is a wonderful month.
We are counting down the days until Christmas. In the U. S., Christmas is celebrated as both a secular and a religious holiday. There are many events and activities that revolve stories of Santa Clause (secular) and spreading good cheer. Look for these classics on TV, in the library, or plays.
December is Singing English Month at International Friends. Songs are a great way to practice listening and speaking (or singing). Accent (which includes the sounds of the words, how they are broken into syllables or sound bytes, the cadence and rhythm of the language) is easy when singing because we hear and repeat a song...not individual words.
The beauty and complexity of music and words helps take the fear of mispronouncing a word (and the fear of not having the correct word) is taken away.
10 Songs to Make Your Language Learning Easy
And to understand how and why this works (thank you, Kathy)
We met and brushed up on our winter and Christmas signs as well as told each other about our Thanksgivings.
From December 5th to the 19th we will be signing Christmas songs! Carol along with us!
Signing songs helps us with our pacing, builds community, and allows us to share holiday music with our deaf friends.
And here is a site that has a list with links for many, many Holiday Songs in ASL.
And to keep us moving forward: 150 Essential Signs.
Our break took us from Romans through 2 Corinthians. These books of the New Testament are letters to the new Christian churches (new as in the new religion that followed Jesus). The Bible Project provides summaries of the historical and social background to help readers understand each of the books.
Romans is filled with hope and contains solid advice that is relevant for our lives. There is information on how to serve, how to understand sin, and the message of hope and blessing of the people that share that hope with others.
Corinthians discusses and advises issues being faced by the people of Corinth. 1 Corinthians 10: 23-30 talks about freedom from social practices (and legal stricture). Paul speaks to doing everything to the glory of God and the benefit of those around by not being rude or off putting, but rejoicing and giving thanks. 1 Corinthians 13 contains the famous passages describing what love is and is not.
We talked about accepting and being accepted. Loving and being loved are keys to good relationships. These human desires are so important to our well being. Rest assured, rather than relying on the judgment of humans we can be confident in the judgement of a loving God.
December 7: We continue our readings with the Epistles. Join the trip through time and find out about the problems that faced people in the different cities and the solutions that come through the grace of God.
First of all, thanks to all the Friends for input for the upcoming year. While the end of the year provides a mindset of reflection, the beginning of the year is one of renewal and resolution. The staff is looking to you to provide input about what you want to learn more about and what skills you want to develop and polish. Email your ideas to Carolyn (indyintlfriends@gmail.com) by December 5.
We wrapped up our month of Vague Language with practical discussions about how we use imprecise words to gain more information or to avoid answering.
December 7: Singing is a great way to build confidence and community. During this holiday season the air is filled with beloved songs. Listen as people hum and sing along. Join in!
December 14: Come to a holiday open house at Carolyn's 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Sing our carols in person and enjoy face-to-face conversation and too many pets!
December 21: Choir practice continues! Join us for jolly jingles.
This week we caught up with our Friend in Japan. It is interesting to catch up on how he is learning English in Japan.
December 8: The Meiji era in Japan was from 1868 to 1912. Japan moved from a feudal system. What was happening in your home country and in the world during this period of time?
anywhere: not a place in this case, but somewhere in a range
brushed up: review and practice
from...through: these prepositions show direction and are used together to mark time or place or lists. Through indicates inclusion of the totality of the last item. For example, "The sale runs from March through May." The sale begins March 1 and ends May 31.
off putting: not pleasant
passages: a brief portion of a written work or speech that is relevant to a point under discussion or noteworthy for content or style
rest assured: be confidant
solid advice: reliable suggestions
Hello, Friends.
In this season of gratitude, I reflect on the International Friends I have met over the years. People have come to study with us from all over the world. I think about the amazing accomplishments of everyone that we have met. Students and staff become one as we have all learned and grown together. I am so grateful for all the people that have taught me so much about life and living in the United States as well as many other places in the world. Hearing your stories. Sharing your dreams. And then seeing what you go on to do is a wonderful blessing.
Have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
Carolyn Willard
Wrap up November in style!
November 18: Christkindlmkt opens in Carmel!
November 23: Thanksgiving Day. Feast, watch the Macy's Day Parade, attend a church service and sing songs of thanksgiving (not all churches have services because this is a civic holiday, not a church holiday), watch football, toss a football in the back yard, feast on leftovers.
November 24: Black Friday. Shop 'til you drop at the amazing sales and bargains devised to draw you in and help businesses move from the red to the black. Shop local.
November 27: Did you find everything for Christmas? Shop CyberMonday.
November 28: Giving Tuesday. Donate to charitable causes. Donate to support a good cause.
The last month of the year is a wonderful month.
Our classes and meetings are on break until November 28. Have a great vacation.
We reviewed our Thanksgiving vocabulary and had a great conversation about spending the holiday with our family members. We talked about voting, briefly. Being able to chat about civic events prepares us to help our neighbors communicate.
November 21: No class
November 28: Review and reset: Tell where you keep getting stuck in ASL, where you practice, how you integrate ASL into daily living.
Bible study notes and discussions circled around the amazing transformation of the disciples. Miracles are sprinkled through the story. Treacherous travel and exciting escapes keep us engaged.
November 21: No class. Happy Thanksgiving and fall break.
November 28: Back to reading with observations about the Epistles, or letters to the church. Our study transitions from historical accounts to personal letters.
We celebrated Thanksgiving. After learning to prepare a turkey we feasted! Find recipes on our webpages (or click here).
November 23: No class. Happy Thanksgiving.
November 30: Counting Things
We had a great time talking about horror movies and other favorite stories. I recommend The Never-ending Story. You can watch it on Amazon.
November 24: No class. Happy Thanksgiving
December 1: Let's Chat!
charitable: assisting those who have a need
historical accounts: true stories from witnesses
secondary market: resale
shop 'til you drop: shop, and shop, and shop until your are too tired to go on
sprinkled through [throughout]: something is found within a greater context (chocolate chips are sprinkled through the cookies)
Hello, Friends.
This week we have a few classes. If you are available, join us in person for our pre-Thanksgiving feast. We cook together (learn how to roast a turkey a la Carolyn--pretty standard Martha Stewart meets normal house) and bring our favorite feasting dishes to share and eat!
November Events to Do in Hamilton County
Cybersecurity Tips: How to Use Cybersecurity in Your Everyday Life
A Tour of American Accents: Enjoy this article that shows the difference between the accents in the United States.
These two words are an important part of the American vocabulary. Equality is written into the Constitution. Equity has been trending in popular culture and on campus. Is there a difference?
Amazon Starts November 17. Walmart is on now. What is Black Friday? It was traditionally the Friday after Thanksgiving and inaugurated the Christmas shopping season. This is the day that many retail stores went from red to black (made money). Look for great deals on what you want, need, or want to stockpile for gifts.
We practiced a list of signs relating to Thanksgiving and then asked each other questions using those words. For example:
The most useful part of the class was to actually go through the list from the videos (in the November 5 Update and in the November 12 Meetings and Handouts)and practice the signs with each other.
November 14: Elections and voting are an important part of American life and culture.
Here are some videos informing our deaf friends that represent the many ways to communicate about voting in America.
Our study in Acts highlights how the followers of Jesus, who were ordinary people, become extraordinary in speaking and acting (Acts 4:13-14). Acts 4 continues to tell the story of how the people were bold to speak the good news in public. God blesses their words and work and strengthens them (Acts 4: 31). As Acts continues, the stories of the Apostles taking the story of God's love and care for everyone (Acts 10:34) regardless of their race or culture or history is an inspiration.
November 13: We finish reading Acts with chapters 14-28. Join us!
We had an interesting class covering the topic of "filler words" or sounds that frequently are heard but never discussed in classes. Words and phrases like these inform spoken conversation and the mechanics of understanding person-to-person conversation or speaking, but are rarely found in written language. The Ted Talk: understanding filler “words” is a good explanation of how these words and phrases work in all languages.
November 16: In Person at Cornerstone Lutheran Church to celebrate American Thanksgiving and feasting!
We had a great conversation about our week and were proud to share success. Our MadLibs were reasonable.
November 17:
Here is the list for our "MadLib". Quick, name a word for each of the following. No, you don't need the context. It will be silly!
a la: in the style of
extraordinary: unusual or remarkable
if you are available: if you don't have anything else to do
inaugurated: marked the beginning for public use or event
is on: is occurring
pretty standard Martha Stewart meets normal house:
Hello, Friends.
October ended with Trick or Treaters in winter coats and snow. What a drastic change from the week before! Then this next week is beautiful weather again. Get your home ready for winter while the weather holds out: rake leaves, remove garden hoses, clean gutters, rake leave, caulk gaps, rake leaves, clean gutters, clean garden beds, rake leaves, clean gutters. You get the idea!
November 16: Feast a Cornerstone Lutheran Church, Carmel, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM. Enter door 6. Bring your favorite feasting dish to share. Everyone is welcome! Bring your spouse, friends, neighbors!
November 20-24: Happy Thanksgiving...No classes or meetings all week
The United States "falls back" to standard time at 2:00 AM on November 5. This article from the Farmer's Almanac briefly explains Daylight Savings Time history and the shift. Some people prefer Standard time, while others prefer DST. Nineteen states have passed legislation to not shift time, but Congress has yet to pass a bill securing a Uniform Time Act for the entire nation. These days we don't have to set most of our clocks ourselves...our tech takes care of it. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep.
Do you want to know if your sniffles are COVID, RSV, the flu, or whatever is going around? Has your stash of COVID tests expired? Get four free COVID tests from the CDC. If your tests are expired, they may still be viable. Click here to learn more.
And speaking of seasonal illnesses and exposure, there are vaccines available for the flu, RSV, and COVID. You can get these at any pharmacy, like Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, or Meijer or from your doctor's office or the health department.
Join the debate! November is for Thanksgiving...NOT Christmas! Christmas cannot start too soon! Do you decorate and shop and go to the Carmel Chriskindlmarkt before Black Friday?
There are four ways that "th" can sound in the American accent. Many people have trouble with the unvoiced and the voiced "th". Often people substitute a "d" sound or a "z" sound for the voiced "th" (even native speakers in the northern states). Both of these sounds are made by placing your tongue between and behind your front teeth. The sound is subtle.
Listen and try to these examples.
Check out the list and YouTube video in our handouts. Watch the five minute videos of the story. There are two of them there. One is in English and the other is an English as another language example. It is a wonderful example of learning the American English.
A trip to the library always gives us a gift. The last visit to the Westfield library led us to the young adult section and the Brian Selznick books. Are these really books? Are they multi-media? Enjoy them with your family.
November 11 is Veteran's Day. We honor those people who have served our country. Here are some wonderful resources to learn more about this important day for these important people.
Click to go to our Meetings and Classes page to learn more and register.
No meeting! We were entertaining Trick or Treaters. I had one boy that couldn't hear. I was able to tell him Happy Halloween.
November 14: Join us as we study Thanksgiving feasting and greeting signs and start the conversation by telling each other about our traditions. Test your literacy with this a five minute, unvoiced YouTube. This 11 minute voiced video explains signs.
The Bible's message connects and informs throughout the books. This week's observation connected the Last Supper where Jesus is eating the celebratory Passover Feast with Judas, who betrays him. For many this is a horrifying prospect. Who would want to celebrate with someone they know is about to seal their fate. Psalm 23:5 sheds light on this: "you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows."
Family ties are important. We love and crave the love of our families. Family members do not always understand each other or show the car and consideration they would give to strangers. Jesus' mother and brothers. When Jesus is hung on the cross, he told his mother and "the disciple he loved": Woman here is your son...Here is your mother. Familial relationships are not always based on genetics. They are built as people adopt each other.
November 7: Join us as we continue our conversation in reading John.
We had great conversations and discussions about social conversations. 100 most useful social English phrases can give you a head start.
We reviewed words and phrases for referencing past, present, and future (in, at, on, ago, last, yesterday) and for linking or sequencing time (first, next, then, after that, finally). Some expressions were less familiar (week after next/before last, in two days/weeks, next/last weekend). Then we explored phrases for politely disagreeing.
November 9: Options, options....
Really listen to spoken English this week (eavesdrop in a coffee shop, restaurant, grocery store checkout, listen to a radio interview, watch a drama) and make a list of the filler words and sounds you hear. Across the board, let's see who has the longest list.
We built a Halloween story that was not too scary.
November 10: Mad Libs are a great way to spark your storytelling skills. We are going to skip forward to Christmas with a Mad Lib for middle school. Click here to see the story. Parents, work with your child to generate a list of words. Don't tell them the context!
Hello, Friends.
We wrap up October. This month has one of the best endings: Halloween! 👻🎃👺💀🍬🍬🍬🍬
We hope the beautiful weather holds out, but the trees are giving up their leaves here in the Midwest. Don't blink! The color will be gone. Meanwhile, enjoy the piles of leaves. Nothing is better than kicking and crunching through a pile of leaves.
November is a great month. We celebrate Thanksgiving near the end of the month. Indiana may see some of the first snow falls.
November 7: Elections
November 16: International Friends "Friendsgiving" in person feast. Learn to prepare and bake a turkey and traditional side dishes. Bring your favorite feasting dish to share.
November 23: Thanksgiving: no meetings or classes this entire week!
November 24: Black Friday: Christmas shopping and the Christmas season officially begins
The Chosen on Netflix or Angel Studios.
Libraries in America provide access to books, videos, and music (in hard copies and via apps on line). Libraries are a meeting place for clubs and interest groups.
Carmel Main Library: 425 E. Main Street, Carmel
Annual Model Railroad Meet November 4, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM, FREE
Puzzle and Board Game Exchange November 19, 1-5:00 PM, Bring a game or puzzle to trade.
Our American Sign Language class highlighted an oddity in voiced American English. Say:
Black Cats, themselves, carry a lot of baggage. Read more about these super special animals.
Stem Center in Westfield opens in time for the eclipse!
Once in a lifetime Eclipse and Hamilton County (and all of central Indiana) is in the direct path!
Election season is upon us! The first Tuesday in November is a general election and many local government positions are up for grabs. Visit the Secretary of State website to learn about elections in Indiana. You can see how to register to vote, voting options (early voting, absentee voting, and day of voting) and how registered voters can participate. Candidates are listed as well as their filing dates. There is a great deal of information including opportunities to volunteer and maps of elected officials. Each county has a board of elections that is responsible conducting fair elections. Visit the Hamilton County Election board to see an example.
Voting terms:
Click to go to our Meetings and Classes page to learn more and register.
Halloween vocabulary and conversations stuck with us. This was because such conversation is fun and we have many great memories to attach to these words. It is easy to transform these words into stories and conversations. We enjoyed a list of new words including robber, alarms, steal, take to jail, arrest. We also learned about headaches, allergies, and sinuses. Small words like and, for, because that help to clarify our conversational directions.
October 31: No Class! Happy Halloween!
We had a great conversation that focused on Luke 23:56. Luke tells us that after Jesus was crucified and died, the women went along to the tomb and watched at a distance. Since the day Jesus died was the "preparation day", the then observed the Sabbath (rather than prepare Jesus' body). Questions about whether the women were required to "keep the Sabbath" since Jesus was questioned for performing the "work" of healing on the Sabbath. In consideration:
October 31: Join us as we continue our conversation in reading John.
November is "Vague Language" month:
November 2: Meet and explore vague in American English, in American situations, in American Culture.
We had a nice meeting sharing Hot Wheels Cars across the world. We saw keyboards, but unfortunately could not hear (is Zoom filtering ambient sounds). It is early for some and late for others...we are working around the clock.
November 3: Tell me a scary story! Come on, guys! I want to be scared. Bring it on.
Hello Friends.
This weekend flew by. We had cool and beautiful weather. Halloween decorations and opportunities to celebrate are sprouting up all over.
Everyone is welcome to MEET IN PERSON
for a Tailgate, Pumpkin Carving Party
at Cornerstone Lutheran Church: 4850 East Main Street, Carmel
Meet in the back parking lot
Thursday, October 26, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Bring a tailgate snack to share
Bring a large pumpkin, a sharp knife, and a large spoon to carve your Jack o Lantern for Halloween
Children and friends are welcome
Zoom over and say HI! If you can't make it in person!
If the weather does not cooperate, we will meet in room 100. Enter Door 6
Want to see all the neighborhood kids decked out and give candy or treats?
Not entertaining trick or treaters?
What else?
A Friend went to a National Park on vacation. In the fall, the color can be beautiful, but there is warning about approaching the animals that make the parks their home. People forget the animals are wild and will defend themselves or their children. Bears are getting ready to hibernate and are cranky and hungry.
Click to go to our Meetings and Classes page to learn more and register.
We learned a new list of haunted words to use for Halloween. We applied the words in scary and spooky sentences.
October 24: Tell us about fall fun and Halloween favorite times using our new and old words.
October 31: No meeting: Happy Halloween!!!!
Luke continues to tell a great story and lend new insights into the character of Jesus. Overarching insights included that people come to Jesus for physical healing. It is through these tough times that people discover that they need more in their life and Jesus provides healing and more. We talked about how important it is to have friends and a community in Christ to bring our problems to God when we are unable or unwilling. Jesus always is ready and willing to answer. We also discussed that Jesus offers solutions to social and political problems.
October 24: Join us as we wrap up Luke and begin the fourth Gospel (biography of Jesus): John.
We continued in our smaller groups talking about asking questions and gaining answers. Specific questions when we have workers in or take our car to be repaired are sometimes confusing. We find that we are on the answering end of the questions.
Open ended questions keep the conversation going. When we ask open ended questions we are looking to gain information and demonstrate that we are listening and are interested in what the other person has to say. Active listening and reflective listening are important. We talked about people's perceptions when our answers are short or when we ask only direct questions (sometimes we appear to be rude or uninterested).
We practiced contrasting pairs of questions, paying special attention to count/non-count nouns and subject/verb agreement. Some examples:
Be careful asking questions with "like ":
October 26:
In person tailgate and pumpkin carving party at
Cornerstone Lutheran Church
10:00 AM-12:00 PM
In the parking lot: Look for Carolyn's red truck
Bring
a snack to share
a chair
a pumpkin to carve and a sharp knife
We will meet in room 100 if the weather does not cooperate!
ZOOM over and say HI!
We talked about good things and not so good things things. We figured percentages and compared scores to the American grading scale. GRADES: Do we know what they really mean? ruminates on grades and performance. What do you think?
October 27:
Hello Friends:
Whew! We made it through Friday the Thirteenth.
Have you made your Halloween plans, yet? Do you have your costume ready. It is time to stock up on candy and treats.
Lone Elk Park: Lone Elk Park is operated by St. Louis County Parks and is located near Highway 141 and Interstate 44 in Valley Park. The park offers a close-up glimpse of elk in their natural habitat. Visitors can also expect to see deer, bison, wild turkey, waterfowl, and raccoons and other wildlife. The elk are restricted to the park by a high fence, but the wooded area lends to the wild feel of the area. There is a scenic lake, picnic pavilions, and one nice hiking trail within the park. The trail, the White Bison Trail loop, is an easy and scenic 3.2 mile hike suitable for most hikers.
Commonly Confused Words in English: find word pairs that sound or look similar; be careful so your words are interpreted as intended
Arnel's Everyday English: YouTube lessons by Arnel. She has "fill in the gap" (fill in the blank) activities and small tests for you to check progress and memory.
Fishers Fall Foliage Recommendations: Where to see the prettiest trees.
Palladiascope Light Show: Enjoy this free, one of a kind light show nightly on the Palladium in Carmel.
Sandhill Cranes are on the move: Numbers have double, although they are behind last year's statistics. Be sure to add a road trip to see these amazing birds to your fall to do list.
The news has been filled with these terms:
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We practiced colors, numbers, and health by interpreting a table and website. We were quizzed by flash card phrases. Each card led to conversation and connections.
October 17: Tell us what is the best thing about Fall.
Aside from our study, we met guests from Indiana that were staying in Arizona.
Mark's account wraped up this week. We were amazed by Simon Peter when he denies Jesus. Jesus had warned Simon Peter that this would happen and he rejects the idea. When Jesus' prediction comes to pass
Luke's account of Jesus' life highlights some amazing observations:
October 10: Join us as we continue our reading of Luke.
Question Words: We jumped right into perplexing question forms with who/whom, whose/who's, and how's what's:
We also realized that question words (interrogative pronouns that ask for information in the main/independent clause) also appear as relative pronouns to introduce noun, adjective, and sometimes adverb dependent clauses in a sentence. Welcome to English where words can have many different job descriptions! Continue to observe how you hear and read question words being used to build your own lexicon (like Alexa) and gain confidence with all the nuances.
Medical Questions and Conversations: Talking to your doctor and medical staff can be daunting no matter what the language. We shared tips and techniques to make these conversations and visits flow more smoothly and minimize our white coat syndrome,
Talking to Strangers: We covered many, many non-verbal signals that people use to encourage or discourage conversation. We discovered that there are differences between different countries and cultures. If someone is confused by your conversation, maybe he or she is misreading your body language.
October 19:
Questioning Words: We'll review Practice 17 questions 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33 in breakout session 1. In breakout session 2 we'll practice pronunciation of contractions with question words and look at some colloquial expressions (see handouts).
Service People: Join the discussion about asking for maintenance and repair service for your home, for your car, etc. You don't have to know the answers (that is why you hire a service person), bring problems to create a conversation and questions.
Talking to Strangers for Solutions: Learn strategies and techniques for gaining attention and gathering information from people you don't know. Practice making open ended questions that build relationships and gain more information from people you don't know. Here is an article to get you started: 71 Open Ended Questions: Examples for an Engaging Conversation.
We met and caught up.
October 30: Create a ghoul and a spooky story to go along with this Halloweenish time of the year.
colloquial: characteristics of the informal conversation
defendants: accused people
lexicon: dictionary, collection of related words
missionaries: a person who fulfills a particular activity often religious
stock up on: buy a large amount of something for future use
