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Learning The Ways of Belgium! I know that I promised to write in this more often, but getting a visa for another country is hard work! I have spent the last two weeks in a "socialization course" that I was required to take to keep my legal status in Belgium. The course was a "mixed bag," as we say in American English; it contained both useful and interesting information, as well as information that was not so helpful. :) I did learn many interesting things about the Belgian courts, Belgian social customs, Belgians laws, and Belgian history! I find this country very fascinating. I think that my favorite thing to learn in this class was about Belgian history, and the Belgian kings. Because the United States (my home country) has never had a monarchy, it was a different history than my own country. I was surprised when I learned that the Belgian royal family began in Germany, and not in Belgium (the first Belgian king was a German man, and he didn't even want the job!). But, much like the United States during the Civil War era, Belgium has two different cultures struggling to live together: the Walloons (in the south part of Belgium) and the Flemish (in the north part of Belgium). Though there is definitely a German culture in Belgium as well, it is far, far smaller than the other two groups. There is a constant battle between the more French-speaking culture and the Dutch-speaking culture, and the way that this affects politics and infrastructure in the country is very interesting to me. I am excited to be back from my classes though, and I am happy to be working with my students again! ================================================ As promised, I wanted to give an interesting English "tidbit" in each of my notebook entries. Here it is! This one is nice and short. Many new English speakers make a few of the same sound-related mistakes time and again. So I thought I would pick out one tough sound, and hopefully you can practice on your own! "Th" This sound is very difficult to master, because not many languages use it like English does. Even Germanic language speakers have trouble, and English comes from old German! Remember: *Don't confuse "t" (which is a short, hard sound that stops) with "th" (which is much softer and does not stop as abruptly). *Don't use a "z" sound. They are not the same! The "z" sound is made with your tongue behind your teeth. "Th" is made with your tongue between your teeth.

٥ سبتمبر ٢٠١٣

Time to learn Dutch! Hello italki community! After a very long wait, I'm finally read to start with my Dutch. My boyfriend and his family are helping me learn. It seems like I'm starting a little late, considering I've already moved to Belgium, but better late than never! Right now, my biggest problem is my pronunciation. I have a lot of trouble with my "r" sounds, especially. I learned Spanish in high school, and I roll my "r's" like a good Spanish student. But, the Dutch/Flemish "r" is just not the same. I can't make that sound to save my life! My boyfriend is being very patient with me though, and hopefully I'll start to understand. The toughest word I've learned so far is "to write" in the "they" form: schrijven. Yikes! I now know exactly what it feels like to be just beginning a new language, and I really hope that I can apply all that I'm learning about challenges and frustration to my teaching. I know it's tough, guys, but we can do it! ===================================================================== I promised a grammar tip with each of my entries, and this week is no exception. Since I am learning determiners in Dutch right now, I thought I'd give a tip about "a" vs. "an" vs. "the" this time. When do we use these determiners? "A"- we use "a" when we want to signal that there is one of something. Also, it's not the *only* one of that thing. And, to make things a little more confusing, we only use "a" if the thing we combine it with starts with a consonant or sometimes a "u". Here are some examples: 1) I wrote a book last year. 2) There's a bus that goes to that neighborhood. 3) Have you thought about going to a university? "An"- we use "an" in the same way we use "a." The only difference is that we use "an" for things that begin with vowels (a, e, i, o, or sometimes a "u"). Some more examples: 1) Do you have an apple I could eat? 2) You must think I'm an idiot! 3) I gave my friend an ultimatum: stop calling me names or we can't be friends! "The"- we use "the" when we want to signal that we are talking about one of something, and we know it is the *only* one of something (at least in our close area). Just a few more examples: 1) Do you know the way to the store? (we assume there is ONE right way, and only ONE appropriate store) 2) Have you ever seen the Eiffel Tower? 3) Turn the computer off! Cheers! Dani

٢٣ مايو ٢٠١٣

Introduction & Grammar Tip! Hello, italki community! I haven't employed notebook entries since I joined, but I'd like to use these to benefit the community and to meet more of you as individuals. I'm a relatively new teacher here, and I just had to take an extended leave of absence in order to move to another country (Belgium). However, now that I'm settled in Europe, I'd like to help more and more students meet their learning goals. Adjusting to a new place is a unique experience. Certainly, Belgium is quite similar to the United States in many ways, but I still find being away from home a challenge. I'm still nervous about speaking in public, since most people speak either Flemish, Dutch, or French. I'm going to be learning Dutch very soon, but have other things to worry about before I can begin that. Next week, I begin the process of seeking a visa. That's a large undertaking! I am going to try and write a new notebook entry each week, telling everyone here about my experiences. I welcome comments, suggestions, or helpful advice! Also, I'd like to give back a little to the italki community with a helpful grammar tip each week. Here's the one I would like to provide today! =================================================================== Grammar tip of the week: Be Careful With Your Pronouns! A very important part of the English language is the pronoun. A pronoun is a word that stands in the place of another noun. It prevents us from being too repetitive. Here are a few common personal pronouns: I, He, She, You, It, We, They The biggest challenge that comes with pronouns is using them in the right place! Pronouns always have a noun that they replace. This noun is called the "antecedent." Here's an example: "Bob said that he would bring chips to the party." The pronoun in this sentence is "he." The antecedent, or the word "he" is replacing, is "Bob." Pronouns become difficult when you have too many of them, or you put pronouns in the wrong place. Here's another example: "When the officer chased the burglar through the park, he broke his ankle." In this sentence, we don't know who broke an ankle or who did the breaking! The officer and the burglar could both be replaced by he. So, did the officer break the burglar's ankle? Did the officer break his own ankle? Did the burglar break his own ankle? Have a great week, everyone! Dani

١٢ مايو ٢٠١٣

Resources: What are some good conversation starters?

Hello fellow italkers :)

As I get to know more students here, I am finding that many of them are interested specifically in guided conversational English sessions. I'm trying to brainstorm some good sources for discussion, as a few of my students are specifically interested in reading short pieces, or watching short videos, and then learning to discuss more abstract topics. Here's what I have so far. I'd really like some ideas for more sources!

-Youtube-- I think this would be really good for amateur video viewing and a pop culture discussion. There are also pieces of some very good out-of-copyright documentaries and other cultural education pieces I've found there.

-Hulu-- Same idea as youtube, but with full television shows and the like. I have one Russian student who seems very into American television, especially sitcoms and comedy shows. I think I'd like to have him watch an episode of The Office or something like that, and use that as a topic for discussion.

-Short Stories-- There are so many websites for these, I just tend to google whatever short story I need and I can usually find a reasonable copy of it. Where I am having some trouble is finding level-appropriate materials for each kind of English learner. I taught high school English literature for 4 years, but I'm afraid not all of my students are ready for that level of reading.

-News articles-- I know that news articles tend to be a good source of discussion. They are not often overly complex, or verbose, and very literal, so getting information from them shouldn't be too taxing.

Other suggestions?

Thank you!

٢١ يناير ٢٠١٣

New Teacher On Board!

Hello everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, and maybe even ask for some community feedback (though I will probably post this on another discussion as well).

My name is Dani, and I have, collectively, 11 years of experience teaching English reading, writing, and literature. I received my TESOL certification last summer, and my volunteer work with international students really re-energized me as a teacher. I really love working with students from other cultures and backgrounds!

I am currently offering 3 courses: pronunciation, grammar/language structure, and writing. I offer these courses to many levels of students, but my lessons are meant to fit student goals and what students would like to achieve. I try to make the lessons fun, as well as informational. I also offer speaking and tutoring sessions if you just need someone to practice your speech.

I'm trying to offer these lessons and sessions at different time intervals (30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 1 hour) and reasonable prices. Please check out my teacher profile and let me know how I can help you!

٢١ يناير ٢٠١٣