Search This Blog

Monday, June 8, 2015

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Unit 4 Grammar: Quantifiers



If you'd like to take a look again at the video, here's an excellent video that explains quantifiers.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

****Tuesday & Thursday 3, 4 class, post your second writing here ****

Note: Remember to either log in using the same name as it appears on the roster or you must type out your name in Korea to receive full credit for your writing(s).

****Monday & Wednesday 7, 8 C3 class, post your second writing here****

Note: Remember to log in using the same name as it appears on the roster or you must type in your name in Korea to receive full credit for your writing(s).

***Your second writing assignment***








Second Writing Assignment
 
For your second writing assignment, it should be posted digitally on the blog.  You must post one main post and a minimum of four mini posts on the blog for your peers to comment.  It can be about anything related to Units 3-5.  The purpose of writing is to give each student the freedom to express his/her ideas and thoughts in a safer environment, which hopefully will give us the opportunity to learn from each other.

 The main post should be a paragraph and should contain some of your own thoughts about a subject, which may even include some facts you have researched about the subject.  Your main post should have a position and should seek other’s opinion about your subject.  It is each student’s responsibility to maintain their own main post as other students comment on them.  If you neglect your main post, it will die, so you want to make sure to comment periodically to what other students have commented.
 
The four mini posts should be a response to another student’s post.  Support your ideas with facts and logical reasoning as to why you think the way you do instead of assuming the audience understands.  You may post more than four mini posts. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to have the answers or solutions to the post, but rather, can help to add to the question or help clarify the main post.  Just let your ideas flourish and see where it takes you.

Remember to be respectful even if the contents of the post are different from the opinions of our own. Also, remember to write your name on each comment to receive proper credit.

The writing assignment will be graded on the following:
 
l  Completion of all five posts—did the student complete 1 main post and 4 mini posts?
l  Content—Were the comments well thought out with reason and logic? Do they add to the post rather than to take away from the main post?
 
Good luck!  I’m looking forward to reading all of your responses!

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Monday & Wednesday C3 Class Only ***Korean Philanthropist Assignment***

In Unit 3, we discussed money matters, a surplus or a lack there of.  In discussing charitable giving, your textbook defines a philanthropist as a rich person who gives money to help people who are poor or who need money to do useful things.  Read the article on Paul Newman; an actor and a philanthropist, on page 34. Name a Korean philanthropist you admire or have heard of. How does he/she contribute to better the society we live in? What charitable acts made this person famous? Do you admire this person? Why or why not?

 If you don't know of a Korean philanthropist, do a little research on the Internet to find one.  Please be careful and do not copy and paste from the Internet. 

Please make sure that your name is visible somewhere on your post as this writing will count as your attendance and  your participation for Monday.

Good luck!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Thank you!

 
Thank you for sharing your lives with me during the midterm examination. I know it wasn't easy but I am touched by your openness to share with me.

Well, it's week 9, hang in there and let's finish this semester with a bang!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Midterm Grading Criteria


Remember to wait quietly in the halls.  I do not want to hear another professor yelling at you guys for being too loud so please supervise yourselves accordingly.

Thank you so much for your cooperation!  I 'm looking forward to meeting with each of you personally.



https://www.dropbox.com/s/88a08znrlnkb44y/SP-C3-MidSpring2015-JuneKim.docx?dl=0

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

General Mechanics of Writing


 
This is a quick overview on general writing tips.  If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

***A sample writing from previous class***


Cosmetic Surgery Trend

Korea is called the empire of cosmetic surgery. Many people are willing to do cosmetic surgery for the purpose of beauty, and it is even becoming one of the “graduation presents.” It is natural that people want a beautiful appearance and want to overcome their appearance complex, but the trend of cosmetic surgery is getting worse in Korea. People are so imprudent to have the surgery without thinking why they really want to do it. Some people even think that cosmetic surgery will change their whole lives and dream of turning their lives around. This kind of blind faith in cosmetic surgery may come from the appearance-oriented Korean society, the effect of mass media, or a westernized standard of beauty. There might be other reasons behind people’s faith in cosmetic surgery’s ability to create beauty, but the one certain thing is cosmetic surgery is not the only option to choose.

According to the survey by Trend Monitor, one in five women in Seoul have surgery, and we have to notice why especially Koreans are crazy about cosmetic surgery. The first reason might be related to the characteristics of Korea. Korea is one of the appearance-oriented societies. That means appearance is competitive, and people cannot ignore the importance of looks. Other countries might show this trend too, but the degree of obsession with appearance is too much in Korea. Many Koreans suffer from an inferiority complex and feel compelled to be beautiful. This obsession with cosmetic surgery is sometimes seen as an indicator of poor-esteem. Koreans’ view of cosmetic surgery, such as “it’s not such a big deal anymore,” can be very dangerous.

Since the opening of the twentieth century, as mass media started to develop, media naturally started to affect people’s lives in various ways. We can say that the effect of mass media is the second reason for Korean’s craze of cosmetic surgery. The media shows many celebrities who have good appearances, and people naturally think that their appearance is the standard of beauty. This makes people follow them and have the surgery. Psychologists say that media can affect people’s body esteem “by becoming a reference point against which unfavourable body shape comparisons are made.” This shows that people might use images projected by the media as standards for comparison. It is so natural that people who are exposed to media’s standard form a stereotype of beauty. That is to say, media makes people form an ideal of standardized beauty and makes them think that it is the only beauty, so they can justify themselves to have the surgery.

This bad influence of mass media might form a westernized standard of beauty because celebrities who have the western look appear in the media and make people think that their look is the standard of beauty. This is the third reason of Koreans’ cosmetic surgery trend. Now, many Koreans consider big eyes, a prominent nose, white skin and a small face as components of beauty, and the combination of these components clearly show the western look. It is totally different from Korean traditional beauty. In Korea, the most common type of surgery is double-eyelid surgery, which creates an upper eyelid with a crease from an eyelid that is naturally without a crease. Not only does this surgery explain the inferiority complex of traditional Asians’ eyes, but also proves the desires to have big eyes like western people. The selection criteria of Miss Korea is another example of a westernized standard of beauty. There is no definite criteria for Miss Korea’s appearance, but the elected Miss Korea shows that big eyes, a prominent nose and white skin is the standard of beauty. It is a clear contradiction that Miss Korea, who represents Korean traditional beauty, has to resemble western beauty. However, every culture has their own ways of pursuing standardized beauty like “Chinese women’s bound lotus feet, Padaung women’s elongated necks and western women’s constricted waists.” It implys that other cultures also have standards of beauty and want to follow them. It is a sad reality because this shows Koreans are not the only people who lack confidence in their appearance and their identity.

These three factors show why Koreans are becoming crazy about cosmetic surgery. There might be other various reasons other than the characteristics of appearance-oriented Korean society, effect of mass media, or westernized standard of beauty. However, whatever the reason is, having surgery without a clear reason is definitely a wrong choice and will result in a lifetime of regret. Some might still argue that they have surgery to overcome their appearance complex and gain confidence, but that is just an excuse because it is quite clear that surgery is not the only way to get over the complex. Cosmetic surgery cannot change the person by itself; it just gives a little bit of change in a person’s appearance. That means inner change is the only way to overcome one’s complex and way more important than outward appearance change. It is not just a truism, but it is true. People just deny this truth because they don’t have that much confidence to change their inner self. However, the real and right way to get over the complex is the change of one’s own mind, and this way will be the first step to change Korean society.
 
Posted with the permission from the writer.

First Writing Assignment






In Unit 1, we discussed having new perspectives on life. What kind of life-changing experience have you had and how did the experience change your perspective on life. This experience can be something small or big so feel free to share as much as you'd like in your paper.

Or you may write about any topic of your choice as long as it follows the same guidelines as listed below.  

Write a five-paragraph essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  In the introduction, you should clearly state your thesis statement - a sentence that presents the topic and focus of the entire essay.

Remember to make sure your introduction appeals to the reader by including a hook sentence, question, or fact. Also, you should include a brief background of the subject. Don’t assume the reader knows anything when you write. And lastly, don’t forget to clearly state your thesis, the focus of your paper.

Use font sizes between 10-12. Do not italicize, bold, underline, or color your texts. Indent each paragraph. Refer to the writing technique sheet handed out in class. Review the feedback you received from your classmates and make necessary changes. Do not overly use “I” in your paper as it’s a turn-off to the reader. And do not use single or double quotation marks for emphasis as this is an incorrect use of quotation marks.

There’s no page limit to this writing assignment but you should at least try to write a page. It’s really difficult to defend your thesis in less than a page

Please bring a hard copy printed to class on the due date to complete a peer revision in class.  You will have two peers from class revise your paper to give you feedback in your writing. Remember, once you print your final draft, do not touch your paper with a pen or a highlighter.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

***How to stress to create rhythm with correct intonation?***

Remember, we stress the CONTENT words, words in a sentence that carry most meaning.  In terms of fried chicken, content words are the meat of the chicken, both dark and white meat.
nouns
verbs
adjectives
adverbs
question words
demonstratives (these, that those)
negatives


We do not stress the FUNCTION words, words that act as a skeleton to hold the sentence together. And these are the bones of the chicken that holds the meat together.

Prepositions
pronouns
articles (a, an, the)
the verb “to be”
conjunctions (and, but)
auxiliaries (do, can, will, have, etc.)
 
At C4 level, you should be fine tuning your speaking ability by practicing these as much as you can at home. In the class, I can only show you and it's up to you to practice them at home at your leisure. 
Remember, practice makes perfect!!  No pain no gain!!

Birds eat worms.
The birds eat worms.The birds eat the worms.The birds will eat the worms.
The birds will have eaten the worms.

***How to check your daily participation checks***

Checking participation is an honor system!












Hi everyone! Hope you all are having a great semester. Just as a reminder of how the participation scores will be collected at the end of the semester.

Each day, each student is eligible for one participation point if you volunteer for the following:
  • To read in class
  • To come up to the board to explain something
  • Speaking up and sharing your thoughts and ideas
  • Answering any questions asked in class
The one point does NOT include:
  • Doing pair or group work as this is the minimum requirement and expectation in the class.
Bonus Points: You can earn an extra point, in addition to the dailly one point participation point when you answer the bonus point question in class or when you research and share the answer in class.

At the end of every class, it is the responsibility of the student to record their participation scoress on the attedance sheet. If for some reason you forget to check the participation point on the day, you CANNOT go back later to record your participatio points.

If you have any questions about how the pariticipation scores will be graded, please do not hesitate to ask me personally :)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Welcome back! I hope you all had a restful break and was able to get caught up on your rest and sleep. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and getting to know you better. Let's have a great semester!!!