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!
International Friends Planning for November
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
Catchall
Heightened Security
Fall Back Sunday, November 5, 2:00 AM
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.
More Free COVID Tests and Winter Vaccines
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.
Is It Too Early?
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?
- Christmas Gift and Hobby Show: November 8-12, Indianapolis Fairgrounds
- Carmel Chriskindlmarkt: Opens November 18....When shall we bump into each other and how many times?
What th.....?
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.
What Is It?
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.
Veteran's Day
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.
- American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories: An NPR podcast collection of stories to listen to on the go.
- Veteran's Voices: A writing project for veterans to tell their story.
- Veteran's Day Teacher's Resource Guide: Read about the history of Veteran's Day and find out what to expect at a school celebration.
Meetings and Classes Updates
Click to go to our Meetings and Classes page to learn more and register.
American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM, Zoom
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.
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 8:45-9:45 PM, Zoom
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.
American English and Culture: Thursday, 9:00-11:00 AM, Zoom
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.
- Build your command of time phrases by joining the journey to compose at least ten sentences, true or fanciful, that include references to time. Sentences may work together to tell a story or may be unrelated to explore different contexts. SEE HANDOUT.
- Also, 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.
- Weddings, funerals, and other life events call for phrases that express the inexpressible. What do you say? What are customs in the United States? Debra Fine has a do and don't list (somewhat tongue in cheek)
- Words and language can encourage or dissuade. Why is vague language important and how can it be employed to open doors, make friends, end a conversation, and more.
Kids's Conversation and More: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM, Zoom
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!
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