Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Second Grade Pop Quiz

Here are some very good answers from today's pop quiz.
However, there are some problems with the grammar or vocabulary of each answer. Can you find them and correct the sentences?

Class 2-2:

Question: The Crocodile in Peter Pan sounds like a clock. Why is this important?
Answer: Clock means "time is going," and Peter Pan wants to stay young status. So they are opposite each other.
Answer: Because the sound of clock means "time over" for children.
Answer: Because in Wonderland, time is the most scary thing. They just don't want to be a grown up.


Question: Explain two differences between the 1951 cartoon and the 2010 Johnny Depp "Alice in Wonderland" movies (use complete sentences).
Answer: The most important difference is mood. The 1951 cartoon has bright and happy mood, but 2010 movie has scary mood. Also, in 2010 movie the Alice is adult.
Answer: In the cartoon, Alice fall in the hole so slowly, but she fall very speedily in the movie. In the cartoon, hatter is so bright, but in the movie, he has strange atmosphere.


Question: Did you prefer Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland? Why? (use complete sentences)
Answer: Alice in Wonderland is better for me because it has more secret meaning.
Answer: I prefer Peter Pan because it has many action (fighting). Also because it is more fantastic and in Neverland people don't get old.


Class 2-3:
Question: The Crocodile in Peter Pan sounds like a clock. Why is this important?
Answer: The Crocodile ate Captain's arm with his clock. Now, the clock is in Crocodile's stomach. When it comes people can hear the clock's sound.


Question: Explain two differences between the 1951 cartoon and the 2010 Johnny Depp "Alice in Wonderland" movies (use complete sentences).
Answer: The 1951 cartoon has funny figures and lovely story, but the 2010 movie makes people feel a little scared.


Question: Did you prefer Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland? Why? (use complete sentences)
Answer: I preferred Alice in Wonderland because Never land was interesting but couldn't impress me.
Answer: I prefer Alice in Wonderland. Because it shows us something new, something strange, etc. It is a fantastic world.

Candy Design Project Videos

For our Great Books unit, students designed a candy for the Willy Wonka candy company.

Here are some of their creative ideas.











Monday, May 24, 2010

Willy Wonka's Invention Room


Today, students worked on designing a candy inspired by the book and movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Students watched an 8-minute clip of the 1971 movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and listened to the scene where Willy Wonka takes the children on a tour of his invention room.
After that, students began designing their own original candy. Each pair is creating a unique candy with a name, a list of ingredients, a picture, and a description of taste and effect.

Today we had a visitor in our class -- Hanbat Elementary School English teacher Sarah. Here are some pictures of Sarah and me with students from today:



Sports Day!

Last Thursday, CSHS students participated in Sports Day. They competed in many types of sports games, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, jump rope, and tug-of-war. Here are some photos!

Students warm up with their teams -- blue, white, and red teams!



Setting up for tug-of-war:


Tug-of-war!



Face painting:


A few second graders take a break:


First grade boys take a break:

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Great Books: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Day 1

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Day 1
Lesson Topic: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Video of the Day: Clips from the 1971 and 2005 films, starring Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, respectively (wild guess which one was a bigger hit with my kids)
Idiom of the day: "Rags to riches" (read a definition from wikipedia here)




Today's Lesson:
1. Greetings & Pop Quiz
2. Introduction to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and author Roald Dahl, and reading through handout
3. Explanation of the idiom "rags to riches," and how it relates to Charlie
4. Watch a clip of the 1971 version, starting about 7 minutes in where we meet Charlie's family in their one-room hovel (4 mins)
5. Reading comprehension: students read 3 short paragraphs introducing the Bucket family and house, and answering 8 questions about it. Students worked alone, then compared answers with the other students at their tables.
6. Watch the same scene (introducing us to Charlie's home and family) in the 2005 version. The scene begins at about 04:37.
7. Announcing our guest teacher for tomorrow, Sarah! (30 seconds ;)

I am excited for CSHS students to have the opportunity to meet and talk with many different native English speakers from America.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Great Books: Alice in Wonderland, Grade 2

Lesson of the Day: Alice in Wonderland
Video of the Day: short clip from "The Matrix," and clips from the 2010 and 1951 "Alice in Wonderland" movies



First Hour:
1. Introduction to Alice in Wonderland, read through handout on book and author.
2. Watch a very short (30 seconds) clip from the Matrix where Morpheus says Neo "must be feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole" and talk about how Alice in Wonderland is very often quoted or referenced (my students needed me to define "quote" and "reference").
3. Watch the scene where Alice tumbles down the rabbit hole in each movie, and discuss the differences.
4. Talk about the Mad Hatter, and how some Victorian hatters suffered from illness and madness caused by mercury poisoning.

Second Hour:
1. Reading comprehension: Excerpt from the Mad Hatter and March Hare's tea party.
2. Watch the tea party scene in each movie
3. Compare the films with each other and with the book.
4. Watch the ending to both movies. Which ending do you prefer? Does one make you think Wonderland was a dream more than the other? What makes you think it was real or a dream?



"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad."
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat. "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be, said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Monday, May 17, 2010

Great Books: Alice in Wonderland, Grade 1 Day 1

Lesson of the Day: Alice in Wonderland
Video of the Day: short clip from "The Matrix," and clips from the 2010 and 1951 "Alice in Wonderland" movies

Today's Lesson:
1. Introduction to Alice in Wonderland, read through handout on book and author.
2. Watch a very short (30 seconds) clip from the Matrix where Morpheus says Neo "must be feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole" and talk about how Alice in Wonderland is very often quoted or referenced (do you remember the vocabulary "quote" and "reference"?).
3. Watch the scene where Alice tumbles down the rabbit hole in each movie, and discuss the differences.
4. Talk about the Mad Hatter, and how some Victorian hatters suffered from illness and madness caused by mercury poisoning.
5. Watch the tea party scene in each movie
3. Compare the films with each other and with the book.


The first chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland begins:
"ALICE was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversations?'"