Speaking Practice

This semester, I recorded my voice reading some articles from the Speak Up Magazines. :(These articles are very interesting by the way) Sometimes I tried speaking with an English accent, but most of the time I used the Standard American Accent. It was fun, but also I think that reading out loud really improves our fluency in the target language.

I attended like 7,8 or 9 times to the Conversation Club with Ana, and I enjoyed them because we would always talk about very interesting subjects.

For my Final Essay

Raising Bilingual Children

From the TESL journal

Games for the Classroom

Russel Stannard's Website Column (Issue 37, March 2005)

Teaching Grammar in an ESL/EFL Setting

Reading Report #2

Educational Reform In Argentina... from Forum Magazine.

Reading Reports

This semester, we had to read different articles related to Education, mostly TESL. Those articles were quite interesting and they complemented our Theories of Language Acquisition Class. We were asked to do a graphic organizer with the most important information. I will upload my graphic organizers.

Opinion Essay

Are Zoos Really a Good Idea?


Imagine some stranger storming into your house and into your room. I bet you would feel very uncomfortable. Now, imagine you are forced to move out of your home to a place were you barely had enough space to move and you are isolated from human civilization. How would you feel? Probably homesick, and you would go crazy after being there for a while. Well, that’s how animals feel when they are captured and forced to live in a zoo. Some people believe that this position is very radical and they claim that zoos help research but also they keep the animals safe from threats such as deforestation, illegal hunting, and pollution. Maybe to some extent zoos protect animals, but the truth is that animals need to run free in their own environment. I support the idea that humans and animals should learn to share the Earth, because it is the home of all creatures, and not exclusively of mankind. Through this text I am going to tell you why animals shouldn’t be kept in zoos.

The first reason is that animals suffer when they are separated from their group and their habitat. Like humans they don’t like change. Research on Dolphins proves that these animals suffer traumas after being captured and taken to an aquarium. Their memory is able to remember the way they were captured, and when they recall the events they get sad. Dolphins feel homesick and miss the members of their group.

Another reason is that animals may suffer genetic because they are forced to live in a smaller place than their habitat, and they also need to adapt to the climate conditions of their new home, which may be very different from their natural environment. A good example of this is our “Centro Ecológico.” It is located in a very hot and sunny city in a dessert environment, and there are a lot of animals that don’t have this kind of whether back home. If these species are able to reproduce, their descendants may suffer genetic alterations in order to adapt to the new environment.

Although there are many signs in the zoos, a lot of people don’t respect these warnings and they throw trash to the animals’ cages and dare to reach their hands into the cages. There are many accidents in the zoos in which the visitors and the zookeepers are affected, by aggressive behaviors from part of the animals. The truth is that the animals are not guilty, because they just follow their instinct, and this aggressive behavior is some sort of response to the frustration of not being in their natural habitat hunting for their own food.

And last but not least, a very interesting fact that is against keeping animals in zoos is that there are many viral diseases that may be acquired in zoos. These viruses may be transmitted from one species to another, and humans may get infected with these diseases. Among some of the viruses that may be acquired in a zoo are rabies and tuberculosis. This is a threat to both the animals and humans’ health.

So maybe next time you visit the zoo, you could take a moment to think if keeping animals locked in such small spaces is fair, and if there will still be zoos we should at least not disturb the animals by throwing trash or trying to get a rise on them.

Comparison Contrast Esssay

Educating In France and In Mexico: Are We Really That Different?

All of us have experienced going to school, and the truth is we know little about what lies behind education. We can bet a thousand dollars we don’t know when in education started in our country, and most people don’t even know about the Third Amendment in our Mexican Constitution which rules education in our country. Have you ever wondered how school is like in another country? Well, I’m going to tell you a little about education in France, but I’m also going to remind you what lies behind education in Mexico. You are probably starting to think that France has very fancy education and way more advanced than our own here in Mexico, but you have the wrong idea. It’s true that education in France is a little different in some ways compared to Mexico, but it’s also true that both countries are very similar in their essence and share some things in common.

In my humble point of view, the educational differences between France and Mexico are not that big. It’s true they exist but they all have a reason to be. The most remarkable ones are the time when it began, the time students spend at school and the money the government invests in education. Education in France started during the Middle Age (in the sixth century) and it became public after the French Revolution. Whereas in Mexico, education began later during the Colonial times and it became public in the first decades of the twentieth century. We complain that we spend too much time in school and suggest we should make the weekends longer, but in France they spend even more time than we do at school. French students attend to school from Mondays through Saturdays and they have to go four hours in the morning and another four hours in the afternoon. In Mexico, we go to school until Friday and we usually have between six or seven classes in a day depending on the school. So, we shouldn’t complain about the time. What we should complain about is that our schools don’t give much importance to developing cultural skills; like art courses and music. In France students practice cultural activities as well as sports. A very important difference between education in Mexico and in France is that the French government invests more money on education that our Mexican government does. France spends 7.1% of the nation’s budget in education, while we spend 4.9%. We have more student population than France but less investment on education. This is an aspect we should really change. Another interesting difference is that most of the universities in France are for all students to attend no matter their social status, religion or beliefs; in contrast with México is that we have public universities and private ones usually for the wealthy people. Most students in France attend public schools because they have exactly the same classes than the ones given in private schools; the purpose of private schools in France is usually related to religion. Unfortunately here in Mexico we cannot say that the public schools have the same level than the private schools. Hopefully someday we won’t need to have private and public schools. A difference that favors our Mexican educational system is that we are provided with free textbooks from elementary through Middle school. All schools in the country must stick to the program established by the S.E.P. In France, there is a program that rules education but the textbooks are not free. Education is mandatory until the age of 16, while in México it’s mandatory until the end of junior high school.

We can find very interesting similarities between Education in France and in Mexico. The most remarkable one is that the principles that rule education in both countries are the same: lay, fee and mandatory. Education is a right for every single human being and it should be available for them. Religion shouldn’t be taught in public schools and it’s a requirement for every person (at least until the middle school levels). We can say that the levels in education are more or less the same with some little differences in the years. The schooling years are divided into pre-school, elementary, junior high, high school and the university. In their beginnings, both countries restricted their education to exclusively the wealthy people, but with the passing of time, education became an official right for all people.

México is practically a new country (compared to France.) We are a country that is in means of development, but France is a country already well developed and obviously more advanced. Both have good points and not so good points if we analyze them through different perspectives. Hopefully, Mexico someday will be able to reach France’s proficiency in education, but the truth is that we are not that different and that behind.

Another T.V. Essay

What We Like To Watch the Most

Television has been very popular since its invention. Through the decades, people of all ages have found a way of spending their free time at home watching all kinds of things in the comfort of their homes. Among the most popular T.V. genres in our days, we can mention Drama, Sitcoms, Cartoons and Reality Shows.

Drama T.V. shows present issues, events and situations that occur in real life. In these shows, real life situations are dramatized and sometimes it goes too far, to the point that reality becomes exaggerated. This category is divided into subcategories depending on the subjects they talk about. There are soap operas, crime and punishment dramas and medical dramas which have become very popular over the last decade. Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, LOST, Prison Break, Gilmore Girls, Law and Order, E.R. are some examples of Drama Shows.

Situational Comedies present “characters in a common environment where humorous situations occur.” Sitcoms are the perfect way to relax after a long day of work. Not many people can resist the laughter reaction after listening to all those jokes told on these shows. Sitcoms have existed for long decades. Some recommended comedy shows are The Fresh Prince, Will and Grace, The Nanny, Frasier, That 70s Show, and last but not least, F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

One genre that could be considered to be related with Sitcoms is Cartoons; which are animated pictures that present original, creative and funny stories. The regular cartoons were known to be rated for all the family, but lately some animated pictures have been developed with contents suitable exclusively for adults. In the traditional cartoons category we can mention Sponge Bob, The Foster Mansion for Imaginary Friends, and The Fairly Odd Parents. Cartoons like The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy belong to the Adult Cartoons Category.

During the last few years, people turn on their T.V. to watch Reality Shows. These shows present ordinary people sharing a living together. Sometimes these people are confined in a house together with the purpose of developing their talents, which are the cases of American Idol and La Academia (for us Mexicans). On the other hand, some Reality Shows present people’s behavior when living together like in The Real World and Big Brother.

The use of the television is often related to a hobby or simply a way to spend spare time. Whichever is our reason to turn on the T.V., we have many options to choose from. But we can conclude that the most popular options we have are Drama, Sitcoms, Cartoons and Reality Shows.

An Essay in favor of T.V.

The Positive Side of T.V.

During the first decades of the twentieth century, the television appeared thanks to the contributions of many great inventors and scientists. Like the rest of inventions, the television proves how far human imagination and creativity can go. Who would’ve thought someday we’d be able to watch moving images on a square-shaped device? People were amazed by the “magic” of T.V. Soon, families acquired the first television sets on sale, and after the invention of color T.V. it was more common to find at least one T.V. at home. Although people argue that there are many negative statements against T.V., I believe T.V. has provided us with more benefits rather than disadvantages. Among those good points in favor of television, we can mention that T.V. is a good resource to reinforce learning or to acquire new knowledge, and also we can learn what’s going on through the news, or we could simply have a good time.

As we all know, television provides a lot of useful information we could use, whether to learn something brand new, or to reinforce previous knowledge just by watching and listening carefully. There are plenty of T.V. shows that present us information on any particular subjects and themes. Take the Discovery Channel as a great example. We can learn about History, Science, Animals, Plants and the Human Body. Also, there are channels that grant us the opportunity to travel to foreign faraway countries and learn about their culture, their customs, their philosophy, etc; while we remain sitting or lying in our couch. With T.V. we can review what we have learned by watching those kinds of programs, but there are programs especially designed as a complementary resource of learning a new language for instance.

It is important for us to be have updated information about the events that occur in our Hometown, in the state we live, in our country and all around the world. We can achieve this, by watching the News on T.V. Aside from the internet; we can watch motion images of events at the exact moment they are taking place. That way, we are able to keep up with the most recent information we must know even if takes place in a far from were we live.

And last but not least, T.V. is one of the most popular means of home entertainment. We can watch all kinds of movies, T.V. shows, and concerts at home. If we come back from a hard day at work or at school, we can just kick off our shoes, sit on the couch and watch a funny T.V. series or movie of our choice and we’ll have a good time. Families and friends gather together to watch T.V. and enjoy each other’s company, that’s why we can say T.V. is an excellent option for leisure.

So, we can conclude, that T.V. offers many useful alternatives to mankind. We can choose to learn, to be informed or to enjoy a good movie or T.V. show.

Note: Why wouldn't I support T.V.? =)

Describing My Classmate and Good Friend

My Good Friend Nereyda

If you ever meet Irán Nereyda Parra Flores you will find she is a very interesting person. Nereyda,(as she prefers to be called) was born in Agua Prieta, Sonora on March 26,1986. She has two sisters and one brother back home, but she is currently living in Hermosillo. She is sharing an apartment with a friend here, while she studies the English Language Teaching B.A.

Nereyda is a quiet girl. She may not speak too loud nor too much, but she is one smart person. Nereyda gets good grades because she is hard-working and also responsible. I can say she is a very good friend, because she helps others, she listens to us when we need her and she gives us advise.

Nereyda told me she likes to travel. She would like to travel on a boat, someday. Among her hobbies is listening to music and she enjoys shopping. I recently found out that she likes painting. Nereyda likes to spend time with her friends. She is really fun to hang out with.

Well, I guess there is so much more to say about my friend, but I invite you to meet her and see for yourself she is a wonderful person.

NOTE: This was one of the first assignments of the semester, and also the first essay we did this semester.

My Goals

In my learning contract, I said I wanted to improve my Reading Comprehension Skills and also acquire new vocabualry. In order to achieve these goals I decided to do several things. First of all I assumed the compromise of doing as much Reading Comprehension Exercises as I could. So far I have used a Toefl Cd the teacher lend me, but also the comprehension exercises of the Speak Up Magazines have helped me alot. I think I am better now at making inferences and drawing out information from the context. In order to learn new vocabulary, especially "slangs" I've been paying attention to the Idioms we were taught throughtout the semester and also I have written down every new word I'd find and look for it up in the dictionary. So far I've learned some new interesting words.

Hi

Hello to all. =D

These blog collects most of my third semester's English work. It is divided into Writing Practice, Listening Activities, Reading Comprehension and some exercises related where I practiced my English Oral Production.