Wednesday's assignment

Good morning everyone, 

Please go back to yesterday's handout. There are two to three writing tasks that we have postponed. Each one of you is required to pick one of these tasks and write an email or letter to a friend.

After that, get a partner to edit it for you, following the system we had before. 

We are on a mission to help out with the movie project. I'll see you before lunch today.

Monday's assignment

Good afternoon everyone,

In order to get familiar with the Canadian workplace, there are a lot of things we need to consider. 

Here is a list of business idioms that are taken from this website. Please go over them and try to understand each one’s meaning and then follow the tasks below.

Task one: 

Pick five to six of the following idioms and use them in sentences of your own.

Task two:

Compose a short story about any event/meeting that has happened to you at your previous workplace. Use at least five to six from these idioms n your story.

Take three:

Request two from your peers to check and edit your work before you publish it on your blog.

time's up	"Time's up" means that the time for something or someone has ended.	I think his time's up as the CEO. They're going to replace him as soon as they find a suitable candidate.
touch base	To "touch base¨ means to make contact with someone.	Let me make a few phone calls to try to get an answer to your question. I'll touch base with you later today.
twist someone's arm	To "twist someone's arm" means to persuade or convince someone to do something that he or she does not want to do.	The owner thought the advertising budget was a little high. We had to twist his arm to get him to agree to it.
under the table	Something done secretly (and usually illegally) in the business world is done "under the table."	To avoid paying taxes, they paid some of their employees under the table.
up in the air	If something is undecided, it is "up in the air."	We're looking for a test market right now, but nothing has been decided yet. Everything's still up in the air.
uphill battle	Something that is difficult to achieve because of obstacles and difficulties is an ¨uphill battle.¨	Winning the election is going to be an uphill battle. He doesn't have a lot of support at the moment.
upper hand	If someone has an advantage over someone else, he or she has the "upper hand."	He was more experienced and well respected, so he had the upper hand in the argument.
white collar	A ¨white collar worker¨ is someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.) The opposite of a white collar worker is a ¨blue collar worker.¨ A blue collar worker is someone who works with his or her hands (manufacturing, construction, maintenance, etc.) ¨White collar¨ (and ¨blue collar¨can also be used to describe a job, position, or place.	There are mostly manufacturing positions here. There aren't a lot of white-collar jobs here.
win-win situation	A "win-win situation" is a situation where everyone involved gains something.	We were happy to get the contract, and they were happy to get such a good price. It was a win-win situation.
word of mouth	If something spreads by "word of mouth," people hear about it by informal conversation with friends, family members, acquaintances, etc.	A lot of local restaurants rely on word of mouth to get new customers.
writing on the wall	The "writing on the wall" refers to the evidence and clues that something (usually negative) is going to happen.	I'm going to get my resume ready. I can see the writing on the wall.
yes man	A ¨yes man¨ is someone who always agrees with his or her superiors.	The company isn't looking to hire someone who is going to try to make a lot of changes. They're basically just looking for a yes man.

Friday's Field Trip

A monstrous deep fried blooming onion at the Ribfest!

On Friday July 29, we have a field trip to the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest. Besides ribs, you're free to enjoy the beer garden, hot dogs, french fries, corn on the cob, and plenty more. Bring some money with you if you'd like these or other entertainment. Parking is free, and some of us could car pool from Don Mills Station at 10:25 a.m., but let's meet for a group photo at the entrance at 11 a.m.

Here is the directions from Don Mills Station for the ones who will take the public transit. Make sure to meet there before 10 am.

Friday's assignment

Listen to that video and then answer the following activities:

Listen to the speakers describing their favourite things and do the exercises to practise and improve your listening skills.

1. Preparation: matching

Do this exercise before you listen. Match the verb with the correct noun and write a – g next to the numbers 1 – 7.

1…….. take                                                                                       a. a designer

2…….. listen to                                                                                b. your scooter

3…….. watch                                                                                   c. a business

4…….. stroke (= move your hand gently over something)         d. films

5…….. park                                                                                      e. photos

6…….. make it as (= be successful as)                                         f. the cat

7…….. set up (= start)                                                                    g. music

2. Check your understanding: matching

Match the speakers with their favourite things. Write a – e next to the numbers 1 – 5.

1…….. Speaker                   A a. a tablet

2…….. Speaker                   B b. a sewing machine

3…….. Speaker                   C c. a scooter

4…….. Speaker                   D d. a set of knives

5…….. Speaker                   E e. a cat

3. Check your understanding: gap fill

Do this exercise while you listen. Write the word to fill the gaps.

A. My favourite thing has to be my new tablet. It’s really light and quite _____________, so I take it with me everywhere. I’m always writing to friends and it’s big enough to do college work on it too. It takes really good _____________, and I play games and listen to _____________ on it as well, of course. I often download _____________ onto it, and watch them in _____________. My mum says I’m _____________, because I’m always on it. I even read things on it at breakfast time. I’m not allowed to at _____________ time, though. I have to be _____________ and talk to people then. “Welcome back to real life,” my mum says.

B. My favourite thing? Does my _____________ count as a thing? She’s not really a thing, but anyway. She’s a really _____________ little cat. I’ve had her since she was _____________ months old. You know how some cats are really _____________ and hardly talk to you? I know cats don’t really talk, but you know what I mean. Well, she’s not like that at all. She’s really _____________ and comes up to me as soon as I get home, purring away like mad. She makes a lot of _____________ for a tiny thing. She loves being stroked and comes and curls up next to me when I’m on the _____________. She’s great _____________.

C. My new scooter! It’s quite small, but _____________, and just what I needed for getting around the _____________. I used to have quite a long walk to the _____________, then a longish walk at the other end to get to _____________. But now I can just whiz there on my _____________. And there’s no problem parking, there’s always _____________ for it. You have to be _____________ with the cars and _____________ – they don’t always see you – and when it rains the surface of the road is _____________, it gets really slippery. But in general it’s perfect for me, and I can fit a _____________ on the back too – I’ve got an extra _____________ for a friend. It’s great. Riding along makes me feel so free.

D. This might sound a bit old-fashioned, but my sewing _____________ is my favourite thing. I’m studying _____________ and love making things, as well as designing them. I also love _____________ myself and often buy second-hand clothes – everyone loves the “vintage” _____________ at the moment – and then I adapt them to my _____________. It’s much easier using a machine to do that than doing it by _____________. I do alterations for my mum and my sister too. If I don’t make it as a _____________, I suppose I can always set up my own alterations and customising _____________. Customising clothes, by taking things off and adding things on, is actually very _____________, so I wouldn’t mind that.

E. My set of Japanese knives. That sounds a bit sinister, doesn’t it, but I’m not a _____________ or anything. They’re chef’s knives and the best ones come from _____________. Cooking is my new hobby. I got into it when I started watching Masterchef on TV. Then I went to an evening _____________ for

beginners, and I haven’t looked back since. I try and have a _____________ for between four and eight_____________ every two or three _____________. That gives me something to work towards and I

always do new _____________ so they can try them out and give me feedback. It’s quite an_____________ hobby if you use good _____________, but now my friends help towards the_____________. They still get a good _____________ for a very low price.

4- What’s your favourite thing?

5- Why is it important to you?

6- Vocabulary Box: Write any new words you have learnt in this lesson.

Wednesday's assignment

Good morning everyone,

We are still trying to assess our skills and part of that is to identify your soft and hard skills.

Task 1:

Sort the following skills into two categories as soft or hard skills. Write SS for soft skills and HS for hard skills:

1. Patience
2. Proficiency in a foreign language
3. Leadership Skills
4. Persuasion
5. A degree or certificate
6. Typing speed
7. Time Management
8. Machine operation
9. Teamwork
10. Computer programming
11. Communication
12. Flexibility
13. Motivation

Task 2:

Now click on this link and decide which of these skills are soft and which are hard skills. 

Task 3: 

Think of two or more of your hard skills and soft skills, then write them down, and provide one example for each skill as how you have demonstrated this skill on the job.

Monday's assignment

Good afternoon everyone,

Our theme for this week is ''Know Yourself.'' Based on that, we need to know our strengths and weaknesses in order to better evaluate ourselves and set our goals.

Task 1:

Essential Skills refer to the nine skills and abilities that are essential to success in Canadian occupations. The Government of Canada has compiled detailed lists, called Essential Skills Profiles (ESPs), of how workers in hundreds of jobs use these nine skills.

Write down next to each skill which one best describes you better:  expert - good - intermediate - beginner -  no knowledge

Nine Essential Skills:

• Reading Text

• Document Use

• Numeracy

• Writing

• Oral Communication

• Work with Others

• Thinking Skills

• Computer Use

• Continuous Learning

Task 2:

Complete an Essential Skills self-assessment:

Strengths: I am confident that I can ...

Weaknesses: I feel I struggle with …

Areas for Improvement: I would like to improve my ability to/on …

Wednesday's assignment

Good afternoon everyone,

Today, we have talked about the “Unwritten rules of Canadian manners.” Now, you are required to write an email to a friend back home, who he/she is planning to move to Canada soon, and give him/her some advice on how to adapt to the Canadian culture, also tell your friend some tips on the most important Canadian unwritten rules, from your perspective, to avoid embarrassment.

Ask one or two of your peers to edit for you. 

Field Trips for the Month of July!

Our first trip in July is on Thursday July 14 to City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square for a Toronto Board of Health budget meeting and the annual Tasty Thursday series of events.

The budget meeting starts at 8 a.m., but we'll try to join them in Room 3 around 10 a.m.

Here is the map for the people who wants to meet at Don Mills station. Meet there by 9.00 am to be able to catch the train.

No less exciting is the international food event that starts at 11 a.m. Bring some money for that if you'd like to purchase some interesting eats. The music is free to enjoy.

You might like to dress appropriately and bring an umbrella if it rains. Make sure to be present at the group photo at 11 a.m. at the Nail Wall.

On Friday July 29, we have a field trip to the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest. Besides ribs, you're free to enjoy the beer garden, hot dogs, french fries, corn on the cob, and plenty more. Bring some money with you if you'd like these or other entertainment. Parking is free, and some of us could car pool from Don Mills Station at 10:25 a.m., but let's meet for a group photo at the entrance at 11 a.m.