Felicia Veloz de Grullón

ESOL Content Reading

Independent Book Reading for Unit 3

Group A: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Group B: The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

Group C: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The summaries of these books are due before October 20. 

ESOL Content Reading

Here is our agenda for next week:

Monday 10/10/11:

Group A: Reading Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Chronological Order.  Applying Fact vs. Opinion)

Group B: Reading Justice First (Author's opinion and support.  Applying paraphrase)

Group C: Reading The Dred Scott Decision (Chronological order.  Applying author's purpose)

 

Tuesday 10/11/11:

Group A: Reading Dreams (Poetry. Identify repetition in poetry)

Group B:  Reading Blowin' in the Wind (Song lyrics. Think aloud)

Group C: Reading The Road Not Taken / Saying Yes (Poetry. Recognize symbols)

 

Wednesday 10/12/11:

Group A: Connecting Readings 1 and 2.  Writing persuasive essay

Group B: Connecting Readings 1 and 2. Writing essay about a painting

Group C: Connecting Readings 1 and 2.  Writing expository essay

 

Thursday 10/13/11:

Groups A, B, and C: Unit 3 Chapter 2 Assessment

 

Friday 10/14/11:

Groups A, B, and C: Mid-Term Exam (Diagnostic Test #2 - Multiple Choice Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing)

 

ESOL Content Reading

Debate Topics

1. Euthanasia
2. Animal experiments
3. Abortion
4. Death penalty
5. Quota laws for minorities
6. Organ transplants (or sell) for money
7. Financial aid to foreign countries
8. Sex education in schools
9. Televised executions
10. Violence on TV/movie
11. The right to pray in schools
12. A fixed rate for federal taxes
13. Tobacco advertising and its effects
14. Free drugs (and syringes) for drug addicts
15. Animal rights
16. Immigration laws
17. Control of firearms
18. Global warming
19. Television in court
20. A 12-month school year
21. Drug testing for athletes and coaches / for teachers
22. Eliminating the grading system in schools
23. Eliminate the SAT or ACT exams
24. Santa Claus destroys the meaning of Christmas
25. Should we change “Merry Christmas” for “Happy Holidays”?
26. Minimum age for drinking alcohol
27. English as official US language
28. Women in the battlefield

ESOL Content Reading

Debate Topics

Here is a list of the topics for the debates we will have in class.

Download Debate Topics

ESOL Content Reading

Journal Topics

Journal writing is an informal approach to developing your writing skills.  Your assessment is primarily based on improvement and completing a minimum number of pages (4 pages skipping lines) by the established deadline.  My feedback to you is focused on interaction with what you have written as opposed to correcting syntax or orthography.  Since this is a dialogue journal, I respect the confidential nature of what you choose to write.  Ease of expression and sophistication of vocabulary are taken into account in the grade that is assigned.

Science and Technology

1. The effects of the acid rain
2. The global warming
3. The problem of noise pollution
4. Should recycling be mandatory?
5. Cellphone, television, electricity: luxury or necessity?
6. The USA must continue exploring the other planets
7. NASA is a waste of money and resources
8. UFOs: reality or fantasy?
9. Benefits of solar energy
10. The right to die with dignity – euthanasia
11. The integration of science and religion
12. Water scarcity in the world
13. The integration of science and law
14. Is stem cell research necessary?
15. Mechanization has affected the quality of food vs. organic
16. Natural disasters and how to prepare for them

Beauty and Aesthetic

1. Why not to buy fur coats?
2. Television is art, or not?
3. Beauty pageants, exploitation of women?
4. Cosmetic surgery for minors
5. How is beauty defined in other cultures?
6. How has our beauty concept changed through the years?
7. Cinema as an artistic expression
8. Fashion as an artistic expression
9. Theater as an artistic expression
10. Dance as an artistic expression
11. Fine arts
12. Abstract art
13. Sometimes trash is art
14. Where there is art in nature

Public and personal identity

1. Sexism in the media or/and television
2. The car as a symbol of social status
3. Why are tattoos in fashion and what do they want to express?
4. Are branded products (Abercrombie, Hollister, Gap, Hillfiger, Polo) worthwhile?
5. The control or limit the government should impose on advertising
6. The effects of witchcraft and Santeria
7. Being or not being vegetarian
8. Bodybuilding: only for your ego or for your health
9. How religion has change the diet
10. Why Americans do not know the national and international geography
11. How are love, honor, and truth defined?

Global challenges

1. The importance of the Amazon
2. Is terrorism revolutionary?
3. The effects of overpopulation
4. Mandatory testing for HIV or drug use
5. Things  a person can do to help the environment
6. Poverty encourages crime, Yes or no?
7. Should we have a natural health insurance?
8. Denying medical services to illegal immigrants
9. Should the next morning pill (for abortion) be available in the USA?
10. The importance of the ozone layer
11. In favor or against welfare
12. Exploitation of children and women in American factories in third world countries
13. The national deficit

Families and communities

1. The process of entering college
2. What every parent should know to raise their children
3. The impact of divorce
4. Why are there fewer babies for adoption?
5. How has the family structure changed in recent years?
6. The concept of the Hispanic/European/Asian family vs. the American family
7. The ideal age to marry and have children
8. How to train a babysitter
9. The worst nightmare of my childhood
10. What children can learn from their grandparents and great-grandparents
11. Solutions to prevent students dropping out of school
12. Should the school year in high school be extended?
13. Should crime victims receive a reward?
14. The importance of marriage in modern society
15. Treatment of Native Americans on reservations
16. A letter to the mayor complaining about the problems of your city
17. Shortage of teachers today and tomorrow

Contemporary life

1. Stress and its effects on young people today
2. Why should uniforms be required in schools
3. What is the American Dream? Does it still exist?
4. Describe the typical fashion of the 70s/80s/90s
5. Modern heroes and leaders and what they mean for today’s youth
6. Should contraceptives be available in high schools?
7. False advertising
8. Smoking in public places
9. Should airlines be nationalized?
10. How to improve the safety of aircrafts?
11. Should telephone surveys and telephone advertising be prohibited?
12. The effects of gangs extend beyond the major urban centers
13. Advertisements for alcohol and/or tobacco
14. Effects of fast food on people’s health
15. Should Puerto Rico be a colony, free state or independent country
16. Possible effects of violent toys/videogames on children
17. Michael Jackson’s death means the death of pop music
18. Hunting (deer, birds, etc.) is necessary in some cases
19. The best age (or the appropriate age) to get the driver’s license
20. The effects of increasing or eliminating the speed limits on highways
21. Should we have admission quotas in universities for minorities?
22. Racism in prisons and courts
23. The judicial system is racist
24. The impact of Latin Americans as the largest minority group in the USA
25. Who benefits from the lottery? Does lottery exploit the poor?
26. Middle class is disappearing in this country
27. Censorship in art and in the press
28. Why or why not should we register firearms?
29. Advantages and disadvantages of credit cards
30. How to plan a surprise party
31. European influence in American fashion
32. How to prepare your favorite dish
33. Myths and misunderstandings about certain foods
34. How will the house/car of the future be?
35. The best first lady of the United States
36. States deserve more autonomy
37. Analyze the benefits of organ transplant
38. Global hunger /Hunger in Third World countries
39. Unnecessary surgeries by corrupted doctors and surgeons
40. Effects of caffeine on diet
41. Is it OK to lie sometimes
42. Modern attitudes about right and wrong
43. Discuss “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

ESOL Content Reading

Journal Topics

In the attachment, you will find the instructions for the journal writing and the topics.  Remember that the first one is due next Friday (9/9/11).

Download Journal Topics

ESOL Content Reading

One of the 21st century skills is creativity according to the book we read last week.  This week we will explore and practice this skill using the book What a Great Idea! by Chic Thompson and the website is:

www.whatagreatidea.com

 

ESOL Content Reading

Your writing assignment about 21st Century Skills will be related to the book and the following videos/websites:

Partnership for 21st Century Skills, National Summit

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Comments on Education

Obama Talks Education in Boston: " A Moral and Economic Imperative to Give Every Child the Chance to Succeed"

 

 

 

ESOL Content Reading

News discussion of the week:

The Time 100 (The World's Most Influential People - Time Magazine, May 2011)

Today we read the editorial of the magazine.  For the next few days, you will be presenting the person that you chose as most influential from the list.

ESOL Content Reading

In case you were absent today, the selected news to write about are:

CNN: Explain it to me: Libya's revolution

Earth Day 2011

Remember that the writing assignments for the documentaries Earth and Freakonomics are due next Wednesday.

Next week, during whole group we will start reading the book 21st Century Skills by Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel.

You will be working on the next readings during small groups:

Group B:

1. Magellan's Remarkable Voyage (Informational text, Social Studies/Geography)

2. COYOTE FLIES WITH THE GEESE (Myth, Literature)

Group C:

1. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo by James García (Expository text, Social Studies)

2. Legend of the Dreamcatcher (Legend, Literature)