Potluck Party Listening



"Your tomato bushes always seem to
have so many beautiful tomatoes!"





1. Listen to the Potluck Party conversation on Andrea's Listening Page and fill in the blanks.

2. Gerunds and prepositions review:  Dreams

Making Connections

YMCA English Conversation Meetup
How can I meet people and practise speaking English outside of class? Join a Meetup group, like this one: YMCA Connections: English Conversation Meetup Group

A Meetup group is a local community of people with shared interests, like a club. Meetup groups plan and organize events. You can search for a Meetup group here: Find a Meetup Group. To join a group you need to sign up. (Click Sign up on the top right-hand corner of the page).

Library Conversation Circle
Another way to practise speaking English is to join a conversation circle at your local library. Many libraries have weekly ESL conversation circles. You can check the Vancouver Public Library website. Click here to check the Current Event Listings to find a conversation circle at a branch near you. Type "ESL" in the Keyword search box.


Vancouver Newcomers Club for Women

And here's one more Meetup group - for women only. Vancouver Newcomers Club 

"The Vancouver Newcomers Club provides women new to Vancouver an opportunity to meet and socialize with other women. Make new women friends and become acquainted with the local community. We have many social activities including two book clubs, coffee outings, monthly dinners at different restaurants, golf in summer, movie nights and a monthly dinner meeting for members and guests. There is lots to do for a wide age range. Come visit us on the first Tuesday of each month to see what we're all about."

Forging Friendships

What a fun get-together this morning! Thanks to the Richmond students for coming to visit us, and thanks to all of you all for your contributions of tea, coffee, treats and fabulous singing talent. Let's plan another activity together soon. In the meantime, here's the Adele song, so you can practise listening to it and singing it too!


Video Quiz - Someone Like You

Time Clauses

Quiz : Until, as soon as, while, before.

Directions

Listening to Directions

Here are some listening exercises to practise understanding directions:


Directions Around Town (easy)
Directions Around Town (difficult)
Where's the Movie Theatre?




Giving Directions

Directions
Go along...   until you get to....
Turn right/left on....
Hang a right / Hang a left
Go down...
Make a U-turn
Cross the street.

Landmarks
You'll see a Tim Horton's on your right.
You'll pass a gas station.
There's a 7-11 on the corner.

Location
It's across from...
It's opposite...
It's on your left / right
It's on the corner of .... and ....
It's the first / second building on the left / right.
It's the brick building on the left-hand side.
You can't miss it.

Skytrain directions
Take the Canada Line / Skytrain to...
Get off at ..... station.


My Favourite Restaurant

From the school, go along Terminal Avenue towards Science World. Hang a left on Main, and go up a few blocks to 2nd Avenue. Turn right. You'll see Maple Leaf Storage on your left. The restaurant is also on the left, just across the street from Maple Leaf Storage. It's in an old brick building, at the corner of 2nd and Quebec. The entrance is hard to spot, so look for the sign: Organic Lives.  

What's your favourite Vancouver restaurant? How do you get there? Please leave a comment.

Writing a Cover Letter

How would you describe yourself?

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter

- Keep it short - one page

- Write in paragraphs so it's easy to read

- Address your letter to the appropriate person

- Mention where you heard about the job

- Highlight your skills, abilities and experience and how they relate to the job

- Provide your phone number

- Proofread your letter

Click here to LISTEN - more advice on how to write a cover letter

Now, write a cover letter for a volunteer job that you're interested in.

Click here to browse some volunteer opportunities at www.govolunteer.ca 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is one of the busiest
times of year for a florist.

A clueless guy. He has no idea
what to get his wife for Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. In Canada, Mother’s day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. It’s a day to express love and gratitude to mothers by giving them a card, flowers or a thoughtful gift. Some other Canadian Mother’s Day traditions are taking Mom out for brunch or sharing a special family meal to let her know that she's special.

Men often have a hard time remembering Mother’s day or knowing what to give their wife or mother. For guys, it’s often a “mad dash” as they run to the flower shop to buy a last-minute Mother’s Day bouquet.

Click this link to watch a report on last-minute Mother’s Day shopping, then answer the questions below.

Many Men Clueless on Mother's Day Flowers

Idioms

to not have a clue, to be clueless = not have any idea

 Men are completely clueless at buying Mother’s Day gifts. They have no idea what to buy.

to stink = to not be very good at doing something

I stink at tennis. I’m really not very good at it.

It’s the thought that counts.

It doesn’t matter how much a gift costs. What’s important is the feeling it expresses. It’s the thought that counts.

Questions

1. What is the most appropriate gift to give Mom on Mother’s Day? ______________________

2. What percentage of men completely forget about  Mothers day? _________ %

    What percentage of women forget? ______%

3. “Florists have a trained eye for the clueless guy.” What do you think this means?

______________________________________________________________________________

4. How many men need the florist’s help in choosing flowers?

a) almost all        b) some                               c) not many

5. What questions does the florist ask the customer?

a) ___________________________________

b) ___________________________________

6. What simple advice does florist Callie Craumer’s offer?

(2:24 – 2:35)

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

7. What is the purpose of this report?

a) request           b) advice              c) information

Writing

When is Mother’s Day celebrated in your country? What are your Mother’s day traditions? Post your answer in the comments box below.

Employment




Penguin at a desk job

  Here are a few listening exercises related to employment.
Listen without the script first.

Job Options
Slide Quiz.

Bad Jobs
Vocabulary Quiz, Comprehension Quiz

Talking about Jobs
Listen to the speaker talk about various jobs he has had.
Answer the questions after each segment.

Volunteering

Are you interested in volunteering? Check out the go volunteer website to browse volunteering opportunities in Vancouver.

 To get an idea of what's available, leave the "Search by Keyword" field blank, and choose "Vancouver" in the city field. Check "Special Events" for one-time volunteering opportunities. These are usually festivals and fund-raising events such as the Dragon Boat Festival. They're usually a lot of fun! Many organizations encourage people with ESL (English as a Second Language) to apply.

I've printed out some of the volunteer jobs that looked interesting, so you can check them out in class.

Listening

Here's a podcast about volunteering. Volunteer Work. You'll hear the slow version first. Then, the idioms and special expressions are explained. Finally, it's read at a normal speed.

News - Motorcycle Washed up on Beach

 

Watch this newscast video :Harley found washed up on beach

Now, listen without the video and answer the questions.

1. Ikuo Yokoyama never expected to see his motorcycle again. a) True  b)  False

2. What brand of motorcycle is it?
a) Yamaha    b) Harley Davidson    c) Kawasaki

3. The bike was found on a beach
a) near Vancouver     b) on Haida Gwaii      c) in Japan

4. The bike was found by an amateur beachcomber. What do you think "beachcomber" means?
a) a person who searches for things on a shore  b) a person who lives near a beach
c) a person who is paid to clean a beach

5. How was the owner found?
a) by the bike's license plate number  b) by the bin number of the container  c) we don't know

6. Ikuo lost his bike in the tsunami. What else did he lose? _____________ and ___________________.

7. The bike will be shipped back to Japan and repaired by
a) the owner         b) the motorcycle manufacturer    c) the government

8. Ikuo feels
a) grateful    b) excited    c) depressed

9. Will he ride his motorcycle again? a) Probably    b) Probably not

10. How do you feel about this story? Please leave a comment below.