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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

A Comment Blog?



I think I have decided to start my blogging career as a teacher with the creation of a comment blog.
There's a class where we have been working with the topic of shopping, buying and selling, consumerism etc. I prepared a questionnaire and students will go to my blog to answer the questions. I am just hopping that this will generate discussion in the classroom.

I have also included a video with useful phrases related to the topic.










MONEY AND SHOPPING

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Are you a price conscious shopper?
2. Are you good at saving money?
3. Are you saving money to buy something?
4. Do you enjoy shopping?
5. Do you ever buy second-hand things? ("used things")
6. Do you ever give money to charity?
7. Do you give tips at a restaurant in your country? How about to taxi drivers?
8. Do you haggle when you shop?
9. Do you sometimes buy things that you don't need?
a. If so, give some examples.
10. Do your parents give you an allowance? (Did your parents give....?)
a. What do you use it for?
b. How often do they give it to you?
11. If someone gave you a lot of money, what would you do with it?
a. If someone gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it?
12. Some people say that "money makes the world go around." Do you agree? Why or why not?
13. What's your favorite place to shop?
14. In a marriage, do you think one person should handle the finances, or both?
15. Explain these proverbs: What do they mean? Say them in other English words.
a. The best things in life are free.
b. Time is money.
c. Save your pennies for a rainy day.
d. Money talks.
e. You can't take it with you when you go.
f. Money doesn't grow on trees

8 comments:

  1. Nice one, Rick.
    It's a great idea.
    I'm also trying some stuff with a 3B group and a 4B group.
    Take care, man!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Rick!
    Great Idea. I'm sure your students will get involved in such a nice activity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Rick,

    I'm curious to know what those pictures in the slideshow have in common! Loved the song you embedded on your blog.

    Fantastic to see you exploring blogging possibilities. The topic of shopping is certainly one that everybody has something to say about it. Are you teaching Prime 3? I am and this is one of the topics we extensively discussed in class. My question to you is the following: why would you ask those questions to students on a blog rather than in class? Remember there's no right or wrong answer. I just want to hear what your impressions are.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Carla, your question is extremely pertinent!

    As a matter of fact, I'm indeed teaching Prime 3. We've talked a lot about the topic of shopping, but I thought that there was still room for further discussion. However, there was no more classroom time for that. What was the solution for enhancement of interaction?

    Rick, the blognaut!!!

    I am just hoping my students will actually participate. Since I have told them about the blog just once, I guess they still have time to try the blognaut!

    Incidentally, what do the pictures have in common? KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

    Not telling you!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey, Fearless Rick.

    The Shopping video was interesting. Did you or someone you know make it?

    I have some comments on the video, but I won't go into them here.

    I'll say, however, that videos showing real-life situations are excellent for language learning—and a terrific supplement to textbooks and their associated supplemental materials. Videos that are either live recordings of authentic language use or simulations of them are so much more meaningful, I think, than videos that are too-tightly integrated with a particular textbook.

    By the way, have you seen Mike Marzio's Real English videos? If not, click HERE.

    Keep up the fantastic work!

    Dennis in Phoenix

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dennis, thanks!!! I loved the site! Extremelly useful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey, Rick.

    I love the site, too, and also consider it extremely useful. I've never met Mike Marzio F2F, but I've known about (and admired) his work for quite some time. I'm a great fan of authentic language, in particular what I call "relaxed speech," and you'll hear plenty of that at the Real English site.

    Speaking of relaxed speech, have you ever heard of Nina Weinstein's Whaddaya Say?? I was the developmental editor on the first edition of this neat textbook-audiocassette package.

    All the best—

    Dennis

    ReplyDelete

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