Hello, Friends.
We had a great week of classes and meetings. Here are some highlights.
Also, you may notice that we have moved on from the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. This week we are looking at the Pledge of Allegiance.
International Friends Updates
International Friends Updates are blog posts and previous postings can be found on our "website" along with information about all our meetings and classes. Check out our site if you get the email " boost". If you are visiting the site, you can sign up to get our weekly Updates delivered to your mailbox.
Thinking About Writing
Writing is discovery, as various well-known authors have asserted. Writing in English, even if you keep it to yourself, will help you think, and speak, and live more confidently in English. International Friends staff is always happy to read and discuss writing with you. Send us a copy and schedule a conference.
Writing is a process and a challenge for everyone--in any language. However, you know more than you think about:
- Inspiration
- Organizing by space, time, importance, and order of events
- Using your five senses to show details
- Choosing verb tenses correctly and confidently
- Relating to an audience
Writing is communicating because it links writers and readers (or listeners) in a shared experience. Professional and academic writing have different conventions, purposes, audiences, and objectives, but personal writing intends to relate an experience or tell a story or memory.
The Pledge of Allegiance
The United States Pledge of Allegiance is said at the opening of school days and official meetings. In this pledge or
Read more about the history and practice in this pdf from the Veteran's Affairs.
American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM EST, Zoom
Our leader's birthday was Tuesday. There is not one way to convey this sentiment. We practiced and then sent her a video of our work. We had fun playing with the word "dear" while making this gift. This word usually is a word of affection. In ASL there are a number of ways to sign this word, but for fun, people sign the sign for deer! Watch the You Tube video to see an example of this play on words.
January 24: Meet and practice your conversation in ASL and grow your understanding of translating and communicating in any language.
American English: Thursday, 9:00-11:00 AM, EST, Zoom
We have spent two weeks exercising our writing skills in English. Sharing openly and listening responsively makes personal writing or narrative a satisfying and meaningful experience for all.
January 26: Continuing and building on our writing and conversation we will:
- Reflect on our experience as writers by taking the "Opinions about Writing Survey". Be honest. For fun, ask someone else in your family how they would answer. We'll discuss our answers next week. Join our conversation!
- Review the "R" section of 1000 Common Words. Also, practice saying the words "particular" and "particularly" aloud three times every day. Try to use these common words in everyday speech, too.
- Finally, we will have some fun with grammar, as we interview one another in the present perfect tense. Irregular verbs and contractions make this tense challenging, even for native speakers.
American Accent Training: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM EST, Zoom
January 26: Look forward to our next Bill's Tip and tweaking your accent to become an American Accent.
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