This is the online discussion space for students of Becka Barker's Native English 1 Class. Tuesday-Wednesday ** 11am-12noon ** Room 9343 and 9525, SCH University
This week, we watched scenes from the 2003 film Please Teach Me English (영어완전정복), starring Lee Na-young (Na Young-ju, or "Candy") and Jang Hyeok (Park Moon-su, or "Elvis"). In this movie, we watched Young-ju go through the difficulties of living in modern, "English-obsessed" Korean society.
This movie, of course, is a comedy. Often, the comedy is "slapstick" too - meaning, the characters use their bodies a lot to make us laugh.
What did you think of this movie? Do you think it exaggerates how Korean society thinks about English, or is it accurate? Do you think Korea is "English-obsessed"? Can you relate to any of the characters or their situation?
As a foreigner teaching English here, I thought a lot of things were funny. This movie helped me appreciate the difficulties my students face. I also think it shows how a lot of methods for learning to speak in English are not effective. What do you think is the best way to learn to speak English well?
THIS DISCUSSION IS OUR FINAL ONLINE DISCUSSION FOR THE SEMESTER!! YOU MUST POST YOUR COMMENTS BY JUNE 10th! ANY COMMENTS AFTER JUNE 10th WILL NOT BE GRADED.
This week, I want to know what you think about your major at university.
Are you learning how to do things you couldn't do before now? What could you use your knowledge for? Do you know what classes you would like to take next semester?
Please write at least 50 words for your response, and post it here before class starts this week. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
When we talk about really big news events, sometimes we think about where we were, or what we were doing at that time.
For example, every American probably remembers where they were when 9/11 happened. I was at work, and when I heard about the first plane, we thought it was strange, but we did not worry because the reports said it was a small plane. It sounded like an accident. Then we turned on the TV and saw the second plane hit the other building. I often visited New York City and I was shocked that this happened. Also, my friends lived near those buildings, and I was worried about them.
This week, I want you to tell us something about a personal memory you have about a big news event that affected you. It can be any kind of memory - sad, happy, etc. Tell us: what was the news event? Where were you at that time? How old were you? How did you feel about it?
Please make your response at least 75 words and post it to this forum BEFORE your first class with me this week.
This week, we talked about heroes and leaders. We learned about the lives of social activists such as John Lennon (pictured here with his wife, Yoko Ono)...
...Mahatma Gandhi...
...and Aung San Suu Kyi.
These people became famous for the good things they did... but how about people who do good things who aren't famous?
People who do good in the world but don't receive any recognition are usually called "unsung heroes". We use the past tense "sung" in this expression because in English, when we give someone praise, we say we "sing" their praises. An unsung hero is someone who we think deserves more praise.
Who is an unsung hero in your life? Tell us about her or him. Why do you think they are a hero? What good things did they do? Please make your response at least 50 words, and post it before your first class this week.
I made a short survey to get your feedback about how we can make this class better and better. You do not need to put your name on this survey, so you may answer with your honest opinions. Your honesty will help me think about how we can make this class as useful as possible for you.
You can answer this survey anytime until May 16th. Thank you for your sincere feedback!
I'm sorry we could not have a regular class meeting on Tuesday (May 4th), but by writing a short response to this post, you will be able to still have your attendance point for that day.
I am writing to you from Toronto right now! I'm here for my little sister's wedding, and I can't wait to see all of my family at this event. It is a very large wedding - almost 300 guests! I was in a wedding only two times before today. The last time I saw all of my family was at my wedding in 2004!
I don't have much experience being in weddings. Here are pictures from the only two weddings I was in:
Here, at my own wedding in Halifax, Canada...
...and here, at my friends' wedding in Daejeon...
Many of my friends got married in Korea, actually. Sometimes the weddings were 'traditional' style weddings in folk villages, and sometimes they were modern weddings in a wedding hall.
HERE IS THE QUESTION FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE POINT. You may choose a question to answer. You do not have to answer all of them.
1) Do you want to get married? What kind of wedding do you want to have?
- OR -
2) What do you know about wedding traditions in Western culture? Are they different from weddings in Korea?
- OR -
3) Do you have experience participating in a wedding? What was your experience?
I look forward to seeing you next week. Have a great day off on May 5th!
Maybe you are thinking of your future a lot these days. Maybe you have no idea what your future holds yet. Often, when we ask 'what do you want to become?' we mean 'what job do you want to have?' But 'becoming' something can also be about what kind of person you want to be in life. What kinds of values are important to you?
I'm very interested to hear what your thoughts are about the future. As John Lennon said in one of his songs, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Please make your posts at least 75 words long. Please post your responses by the beginning of your first class next week (no later than midnight on May 4).
This week, we talked about personality types and different ways to describe peoples' character. In our online discussion this week, let's find out if your birthday influences your personality. Even though these are just for fun, sometimes the results are surprising and accurate!
The YEAR you were born - Click here to see your personality traits according to the Chinese Zodiac.
You will see many adjectives describing the different symbols. Which one are you? What does it mean for your personality?
The MONTH you were born - Click here to see your personality traits according to WESTERN SUN SIGNS.
There are many adjectives for each sign. Which one are you? What does it mean for your personality?
Your homework: Please post at least 50 words on what you think about your birthday and your personality traits. Do the adjectives listed in those two links describe you well? Why or why not?
Last week in class, we talked about how to use "should" for making recommendations. We also talked more about traveling, but instead of flying around the world, we talked about traveling within Korea. You all gave me some good advice for different traveling situations! For our online discussion this week, I want you to post the advice your group put together in class. The group's advice should be at least 50-75 words long.
If you were absent last week because of MT or other school events, please choose one travel situation and give two pieces of advice for what you think I should do. You can look at the vocabulary on page 51 and the grammar points on page 49 and page 48 (bottom of page) to help you. Each student's post should be at least 25-50 words long. ............................................................................................................................................... TRAVEL SITUATIONS:
1) I want to go to Jeju Island, but I don't have much money and I only have one week for vacation. How should I get there? When should I go? What should I do while I am there? What should I bring?
2) My parents are coming to Korea to visit me. They are coming in the summer because they like warm weather. They are interested in seeing Korea, but they don't like spicy food, and they are over 60 years old. Where can we go? What kind of food can you recommend? What should they bring?
3) I have one week for vacation and a vacation budget of 1,000,000 won. I want to see as many interesting places in Korea as possible. Where should I go? How should I travel? What should I bring?
4) Like many foreigners in Korea, I enjoy experiencing traditional culture such as temples, palaces, and folk villages, but I want to experience interesting contemporary cultural events, too! What kind of events will show me something of Korea's modern culture? Where can I go? How should I get there? What should I wear?
5) I have one week for vacation in the summer, but I don't like hot weather. I want to go to a place with mild summer temperatures that makes delicious maekgoli, but I don't want to go to a place where there are many tourists. What can you recommend? Where should I go? How can I get there? What should I bring?
Remember, I want GOOD advice! Not BAD advice, like we saw in the comedy sketch from the TV show "Little Britain"...
I think of Halifax, Canada as my hometown. It's a quiet, clean city with low population, very little traffic, and low air pollution. I wasn't born there, but it's the place that feels most like 'home' to me. In Halifax, I lived in a traditional "row house" that was over 100 years old. My neighborhood in Halifax is called the "North End" because it's in the northern part of the city. My house was across from a large park. My neighborhood was also next to the ocean. Here's a picture, taken as a screen shot from Google Earth's "street view". My house is the blue one.
Here's where that house is on the map. You can see that my neighborhood is next to the Atlantic Ocean!
When I moved to Korea, my own idea of what was 'local' changed. I really enjoy living in Shinchang (really!). The transportation is quite convenient - so I can live in the countryside, but still get to Seoul quickly and cheaply. A lot of my neighbors are very friendly, too.
Pretty flowers on the Kyunghee Apt. hill in May!
Surprise! It's a campus rainbow!
This week, we talked a little bit about neighborhoods, and we talked about different conditions in different cities around the world. Now, please share a little about what life is like in your hometown. Use the expressions we practiced in class this week.
You may also post a link to a picture that you think represents your hometown well. Let's see where you're from!
This cook lived in Toronto for a long time. Korean cuisine is actually really popular in Toronto, and there are LOTS of Korean restaurants there. Maangchi shows English-speaking people how to make some of Korea's most popular dishes at home. Thanks to her, I've learned a lot about Korean cooking!
Here's a link to her video for how to make gamjatang:
Watch Maangchi's video for how to make gamjatang. Then, in at least 50 words, discuss the following questions:
Did you already know how to make this? Was there anything surprising to you in this video? Do you know other methods for making gamjatang? Is there anything else you want to comment on about the videos, or about Korean cooking, here?
Check out Maangchi's video blog website. Post a link to a video of a recipe you like here!
This week, I want you to tell us about a good friend. Here is an example about one of my good friends, Jinny.
My friend Jinny is from Daejeon. She is in her 30s. She has long, straight, black hair and brown eyes. She is slim and petite, but she likes to eat a lot! She teaches English in a hagwon in Cheonan. She teaches middle school and high school students, so sometimes she picks up their expressions and gestures. If someone surprises her, she says "hul!" (헐~~!) and makes her face look like a comic book character.
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