Hello, Friends.
The last month of the year is a wonderful month.
- December 24: Christmas Eve
- December 25: Christmas Day
- December 31: New Year's Eve
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.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (movie, book/short story)
- Charlie Brown's Christmas by Charles Schultz
- Frosty the Snowman
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (cartoon, movie, book)
- The Very Best Christmas Pagent Ever (movie and book)
- White Christmas (movie)
- It's a Wonderful Life (movie, but here is a radio play version to practice your listening)
Brush Up: From ... to ...
- I drove from Carmel to Noblesville on 146th Street.
- Our next meeting is from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Library.
- She went from painting simple watercolors to painting portraits in one year.
- Fresh chicken costs anywhere from $1.99 to $7.00 a pound.
- We have been married since 1992.
- It has been three years since we last went to see the Nutcracker.
Singing Your Way to Fluency, Diction, Accent
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)
American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00, Zoom
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.
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 8:45-9:45 PM, Zoom
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.
American English and Culture: Thursday. 9:00-10:00 AM
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.
Kid's Conversation and More: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM, Zoom
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?
Words and Phrases
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
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