A Night at the Museum

Tonight the SWK class was able to take advantage of an invitation from the Bob Bullock Museum to see their educators' preview of the new quilt exhibit. After the tour, we were able to go upstairs for a film, Crazy Texas Weather, complete with special effects for the audience to give us the "feel" of hurricanes and tornadoes.

Friday the 13th—good luck for us!

In the US, Friday the 13th is considered a bad luck day, a day when one has to be careful to a avoid accidents and misfortune. There's even a word for it: paraskevidekatriaphobia! Here's a website that explains the word and the superstition.

However, my SAC students from Mexico told me that in their country, Friday the 13th is a "social day"—a day to visit friends and enjoy the company of others. I think the Mexican tradition prevailed in our classroom because we were fortunate on that day in at least two ways: (1) everyone in the class was present and (2) Brandon, a new teacher to ACC, came to observe our class and volunteered to serve as photographer. Thank you, Brandon, for our new class photo. Friday the 13th was a lucky day for us!

Why Computers?

I asked my Southwest Key students tonight why they liked computers. Here are some of their answers, along with two of my own.

1. Everyone can study what they need to at their own level.
2. English practice can be personal and individual.
3. Computer skills can be used outside of class.
4. Computer skills can help you find a better job.
5. You can use a computer to communicate with family far away.

Click on Comments below to add more reasons.

Happy Birthday, Araceli!

ACC Eastview Library

Last Wednesday the SWK class had a tour of the Austin Community College Eastview campus library. So many choices! So many possibilities!

We Read English

Reading in English is a great way to improve vocabulary, fluency, and even grammar. The key is to choose a book that is highly interesting and at an appropriate level (not too easy, not too hard). In the photos below, students are reading, writing about what they've read, and checking out new books.

TPRS—Asking a Story

I became intrigued with Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling last summer, and with the encouragement of Will Slade, a fellow student at UT, I finally decided to have a go at it. I'm posting an edited version of a much longer story developed by my beginning-level SWK students. The story began with a character (Gloria). Where does Gloria live? What is her job? I asked the questions, students supplied the details. Well, most of them. This is our second story for this class, and we're looking forward to doing more.