Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

We were asked to formed groups of 4 and each group was given a topic to discuss and present their speech to the class.
Unfortunately, our group could not finish it on time.
But luckily Mr Sim, being a understanding fellow, gave us till 2pm instead of 1.50pm to present to the class.
Just for Mr Sim info, we were really grateful to you.
The topic which inspired me most was 'speak good english'.
As you know, my english was my stumbling block.
But after that day, i was determined to improve my command in english.
Luckily, heaven happened to be on our side.
Therefore, we didn't present that very day.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

How to Write a Speech

Today we learnt the style and structure of a speech.

How to Write a Speech

Introduction
  • Thank the audience for the opportunity to speak to them about a particular topic.
  • Attention-getting hook (e.g a short story)
  • Main point
  • Brief summary of sub-points

Body

  • 3 sub-points
  • Support-each point should be supported by evidence, examples, anecdotes
  • If necessary, anticipate and rebut a counterargument

Conclusion

  • Re-statement of your main point
  • Summary of your 3 sub-points
  • Challenge to the audience
  • Memorable ending

To write a great speech you must:

Decide why the audience should listen to you in the first place. This is your introduction.

Prove this to the audience. This is the body of your speech.

Determine what you want the audience to do upon hearing your speech. This is your conclusion.

Monday, February 26, 2007

I wish

Today, I was utterly disappointed that Mr Sim did not tell us our English Common Test marks. I was looking forward to this day. Today, we were taught the different applications of writing a speech. A speech is made at weddings, formal event, funeral, dinner, eulogy and many more.......
What I found most interesting in today's lesson was the origin of the word eulogy
(eu: good, logy: good words). When i first heard of this word, i thought it was somehow related to the word ecology but i was wrong.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

Even though Mr Sim was absent from school today, he gave us a piece of assignment which required us to do Unit 12 Pg132 of 'Successful English' (A Motivational Speech). We were then dismissed after we handed up our assignment to the relieve teacher.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Attention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For our lesson today, we went through the worksheet on the various types of comprehension questions which was given to us yesterday. There are basically 5 types of comprehension questions namely factual (who, what, when, where, how), inferential (what is the writer implying), language use (associations), use your own words (do a word at a time) and quoting a word/phrase/sentence/expression(give them exactly what they want).

Please be reminded that tomorrow is the English Common Test! Study hard!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

For today's lesson, we did a summary practice which was peer editing. We had to give our summary dealing with the changes in the life of the aborigines from the time they were discovered by the colonialists to the present day to three of our classmates. They were supposed to give a score based on the rubrics they had received. On average, I scored an average of 7.5/10 for the language component. The language component for summary writing was marked based on sections: OWN WORDS and USE OF ENGLISH. So if you want to score in your summary writing, remember to make a sustained attempt to re-phrase the text language and try to construct complex sentences by using linking words such as however, thus, in addition.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

Today's lesson was going through a comprehension passage on tribal groups. The passage was particularly interesting as it informs the reader on the lifestyle of these tribal groups in the eighteenth century and how western cultures affected their lives. What caught my attention was the harvesting process which was part of the lifestyle of these tribal groups. During those days, the people were particularly superstitious as they believed that their harvest depended on the spirits. However, in today's modern society, such beliefs hardly exists.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

Today was a tough day for me. Having lots of assignmet to do, I still had to cope with the upcoming tests. As for today, we went through the summary points on the comprehension passage on dolphins. I managed to score 11 out of 15 marks for my summary points which i thought was pretty good. Hope i could do even better for the comprehension exercise. After that we went through Unit 6 Pg43 of 'Successful English' which was the spelling section. Through the spelling exercise, we learnt to be precise in our words. For example, delectable(food) and luxurious(living condition). Next we went through Unit 2 Pg76 which was a comprehension on KENSINGTON. It was only going through the passage that i realise a place called Kensington exists on planet earth.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

Today, we learnt various summary skills.
(For more information, log in to www.summaryworksheet.com)
As a practice exercise, we were asked to identify the main points for the summary question on the comprehension passage on dolphins.
After identifying the main points, we were then asked to rephrase it with our own words.
This excercise has helped me to improve my summary drastically.
I look forward to having more of such exercises.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Reflection On English Lesson

We did a summary question during a single period english lesson to kickstart the day.