Saturday, March 24, 2007

The Sundial

These words appear on a sundial in my dad's garden:
I'm a brazen-faced old optimist.
For me dark days do not exist.
Serene I stand among the flowers
And only count life's sunny hours.
John Parker, London 1763
--s2314@tmail.com

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The talkative barber on Las Olas Boulevard

Look for Frankie the barber. He tells funny stories. You can tell him
this joke:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are  walking to
lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie  comes
out. The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the  administration clerk. "I want to be in
the Bahamas, driving a speedboat without a care in the world." Puff!
She's gone.
"Me  next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii,
relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of
Pina Coladas and the love of my life." Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're  up," the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I
want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story:  Always let your boss have the first say.
--s2314@tmail.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

We have a student from Estonia in our school

He is pointing to a large island that is part of Estonia. The telephone
software called Skype was invented by a team in Estonia, led by Stem
Tamkivi and Ahti Heinla. You can learn more by reading Business (ari)
Day (paev) newspaper.
--s2314@tmail.com

Friday, March 16, 2007

There's a raccoon in that tree

Homework 1: Bring photos to Steve on April 12. or you can bring the
photos to Isabella or Erica.
Homework 2: Call Steve 954 646 8246
Homework 3: Write to Steve s2314@tmail.com
Homework 4: Visit www.FreeEnglishLessons.com
And click on "BLOG"
For Intermediate and Advanced English users
Hello
Independent Projects
You have 8 weeks to produce something interesting.
You can make photos.
You can interview people and then make a video.
You can collect 25 funny videos from YouTube and write sentences to
explain the videos.
You can make a guide to Las Olas.
You can try to teach students in another school.
You can organize a meeting between students in another school and our
students.
You can visit a professor's class at Nova University or closer, at
BCC.
You can watch a video tape of news and then make the news again.
You can create almost anything.  Talk to me about your dream.
You can interview a barber on Las Olas and get a hair cut.
You will have a video or photos to show that you did something.
We will have a bulletin board to show our activities each week.
You can contact students at other CES centers.  Create the MSN
Messenger hour once a week.  It's my idea, but I will do nothing. 
It is your job to contact another center and talk with another teacher
in another city.
It will be your job.  It is your responsibility to create something
cool.
You will win an animal. (ooooooooooooooooo!) 
--s2314@tmail.com

Monday, March 12, 2007

A statue of Nap_le_n Broward

Around 1900 this fellow decided to remove water (dr__n) from the
Everglades to create land for houses. Now we call the county after
him.
Here are some tips for students who want to practice list_ning:
1.

Www.esl-lab.com ... Very good way to practice speaking
2. Interview one student each day. You can record the interview with
a digital camera and then show me the result. After you interview the
students in the class, you can find students in other classes.
3. Talk to the class about a subject that you like.
4. I want you to choose a poem and read the poem to me. I can check
your pronunciation.
5. We can create situations in class -- for example, you are the
customer, another student is the store person
I like the poems in my head. I can tell you some poems friday or
thursday
On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:57, 内田 裕香 wrote:
> I want to speak English more and want you to check our pronunciation
> and grammar, because Japanese people learned grammar a lot, I think
> I'm good at grammar and I know I cannot speak better than other
> students like not Asian people. (Letter from a student)

The students work together

The statue is m_de from papier maché (wh_ch uses fl__r and water and
glue). After the mixture dries, the surface is h_rd. Then the class
takes turns and pa_nts on the statue. The shape is a baby sheep (a
l_mb). You can teach these children something about your country (and
they can correct your mistakes in English).
--s2314@tmail.com
Steve McCrea 954-OH-MUCHO 954.646.8246
Book editing, marketing design
Tutoring

www.LookForPatterns.com
Supporter of the Double Moon Shot (proposed by Thomas Friedman) energy
and education at www.CDsForParents.com

The principal at Downtown Academy

Here is the person who is in charge of the little school in the pink
church. He watches over the gr__th of the st_dents and he m_n_ges the
sp_nding of the school's b_dget. He speaks German and English and he
knows many phrases in Turkish and other languages. He welcomes visitors
from other countries to his school. Will you become a vol_nt__r this
week?

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

We use Skype and MSN Messenger

You can reach me via Skype (jkmccrea1) and at
steveenglishteacher@hotmail.com. Let's communicate and exchange ideas.
In this photo you can see two students (Eduardo from Chile and Milan
from Eastern Europe, he sells lighting parts) using Skype.
--s2314@tmail.com

Pronunciation Practice

Grudge means "complaint" or "problem" – if you try to make a
complaint get better, if you try to keep the negative feelings alive,
the grudge will not get better (will not improve).  This photo was
taken at the Post Office at 1402 East Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale. 
Come visit!
Here is a good way to practice.
There is a minimum of difference between SHIP and CHIP (just one
sound).  SHIP and CHEAP have two sounds that are different.  PARE,
PEAR and PAIR are spelled differently but sound the same.

We recommend pronunciation practice here!
http://www.manythings.org/pp/
An interesting graphic program…  Very interactive!
http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/wordlists.html
A long list of pairs of words.
http://www.fonetiks.org/shiporsheep/
Here are some more minimal pairs

You can be in this photo with fish! Wow!

Feed the fish at 15th Street Fisheries. I recommend this adventure.
Downstairs
Monday- Saturday 11:30 AM- 9:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM- 7:30 PM
Upstairs
Sunday- Thursday 5:0 PM- 9:30 PM
Friday- Saturday 5:00 PM- 10:00 PM
15th Street Fisheries
1900 S.E. 15th Street
Fort Lauderdale. FL 33316
Tel. 954-763-2777
http://www.15streetfisheries.com/

Learn English in a great museum

Do you notice the angle of the shadows?  (Photo taken on March 5.) 
Where will the shadows point on June 22?  Continue your learning with a
visit to a museum… via the Internet.

Museum of Discovery and Science www.mods.org Fort Lauderdale
FRANKLIN Institute in Philadelphia http://www2.fi.edu/
BOSTON www.mos.org <<<<< FABULOUS
Newark Liberty Science Center (Delightful) www.lsc.org
CHICAGO www.fieldmuseum.org
SMITHSONIAN www.smithsonian.org
Exploratorium in San Francisco
http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem301/
Read more about museums ~
Harvard http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem303/
Chicago http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem302/
England http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem304/
New Jersey (Newark)

http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem305/
Washington, DC
Smithsonian http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem306/
Philadelphia Univ. of
Penn http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem307/
Pittsburgh Penn.

http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem300/
NY Natural
History http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem299/
Wash  Air and Space

http://discovermagazine.com/1993/nov/tengreatsciencem298/
LOS ANGELES http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/
Constitution Museum (stand next to Ben Franklin's
statue) http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
The Great Arch in St. Louis.  Wow. http://www.gatewayarch.com
GREAT ART
Getty in Los Angeles www.getty.edu <<<< it is worth flying to Los
Angeles, going to the Getty, and going back to the airport.  Yes, the
Getty is amazing.
New York Metropolitan www.metmuseum.org
Museum of Modern Art NY www.moma.org
A visit to a museum is a fabulous way to expand horizons and learn
something new…  Learn through a museum. 
More Links http://icom.museum/vlmp/world.html and www.museum.com

Monday, March 5, 2007

Tutors who learn English

What can you talk about? One of the younger students is studying
Japanese and she talked to Yuki.
--s2314@tmail.com

We had a busy Monday

We practiced English with students at a middle school (do you see Karim
in this photo?) and we went to Coconuts near the Hall of Fame Swimming
Pool. We enjoyed the sunset that reflected on the Intracoastal
Waterway. We also met Tarpan and Dorina (who operate an art gallery
near Sunrise Blvd.) -- 933 NE 19th Avenue. Go and visit their gallery!
(3 points). Tarpan works at Carriage Trade at 1306 East Las Olas.
(Describe one item that is sold in his store.)
--s2314@tmail.com

Thursday, March 1, 2007

UNICEF Lunch

Our school started a new tradition: At the end of each month, we
organize lunch for everyone and charge more than we usually pay. For
example, we
each buy pizza and a drink for $8 and the profit will go to UNICEF. We
hope to hold a charity lunch once a month. Look at the interesting
poster that
the group of students created!

Students at Embassy CES visit a middle school

My students enjoy learning from 12-year-old students at a middle school
just two blocks from Embassy CES.

One of my students, Francisco of Brazil, likes to use this quotation:
"When you have a goal, what was an obstacle becomes a part of your
plan."
My student told me, "I really love this sentence. It says a lot about
the way I see and face life!"
The quotation in Portuguese is "Quando você tem uma meta, o que era um
obstáculo passa a ser uma etapa de um de seus planos." -- Gerhard Erich
Boelme