Nate's 21st Century Communication

  1. Warm-Up Discussion Questions What holidays in your country celebrate gratitude or family? What traditional foods do people eat during those holidays? Why do you think giving thanks is important? 2. Vocabulary Preview Harvest – the time when crops are collected Feast – a large meal with many dishes Tradition – a custom or belief passed down over time Gather – to come together Gratitude – feeling thankful Parade – a public celebration with marching people, music, and floats 3. Reading Passage: The Story and Traditions of Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November . It began in the early 1600s, when English settlers known as the Pilgrims arrived in North America. Their first winter was very difficult, but with the help of the Wampanoag people, they learned how to grow local crops such as corn and squash. After their first successful harvest , the Pilgrims held a feast to give th...

 By Nate Feldman 1. Thanksgiving Meaning: A special American holiday in November. People eat food together and say “thank you” for good things. 2. Tune / Song Meaning: Music you can listen to or sing. 3. News Meaning: Information or stories about what is happening. 4. Special Meaning: Important or different from normal. 5. Happy / Excited Meaning: Feeling good, smiling, full of energy. 6. Thankful / Give Thanks Meaning: To feel good about something you have, and to say “thank you.” 7. Family Meaning: The people in your home: mother, father, children, grandparents, etc. 8. Celebrate Meaning: To enjoy a special day with food, music, or fun. 9. Holiday Meaning: A day when people don’t work and spend time with family or friends. We will watch a video about Thanksgiving. Instructions: Watch the video. Then choose the best answer (A, B, or C) for each question. What day is Nate Feldman talking about in the video? A) Christmas Eve B) Thanksgiving C)...

            Title: The Mysterious Note *When Mia opened her locker on Monday morning, a small envelope slid out. Inside was a simple message: “You always make the room brighter. — From someone who admires you.” Mia looked around the hallway, but no one paid attention to her.  She was so curious who it could be.   On Tuesday, she found a chocolate bar and another note: “Good luck on your math test today!” Curious, Mia began looking for clues. She noticed that only a few people knew about her math test. Could it be Daniel from her class, who always borrowed her notes? Or maybe Sara, her best friend, who loved playing jokes? Finally, on Friday, she found one more envelope. This time, it said: “Meet me in the library after school.” Mia took a deep breath and walked to the library.  She was a little nervous. Sitting at a table was… Daniel, holding a flower and smiling nervously.             Daniel exp...

  Vocabulary Activity Key Words hesitate  – to pause before doing something whisper  – to speak very quietly terrified  – very scared encourage  – to give someone confidence or support trembling  – shaking because of fear or nervousness melt away  – to slowly disappear Activities A. Match the word to the definition encourage whisper trembling terrified hesitate a. extremely scared b. shaking from fear c. speak very softly d. pause before acting e. make someone feel more confident Story: The Secret in the Notebook Maya and her best friend Leo always sat together during lunch at school. One day, Maya looked worried. She kept checking her small blue notebook, which she usually used for drawing. Leo noticed and asked, “Is everything okay?” Maya hesitated and then whispered, “I need to tell someone something… but you have to promise not to tell anyone else.” Leo nodded. “I promise.” Maya opened the notebook and showed him a sketch of a guitar. “I signe...

  anonymous (adj.) – without a name    confession (n.) – telling something private or difficult post (v./n.) – publish something online community (n.) – a group of people with a shared interest courage (n.) – bravery relief (n.) – a feeling of comfort after stress or worry        A Secret Website Frank Warren created a project called PostSecret , where people from all around the world can share their secrets anonymously . Anyone can mail or upload a postcard with a secret written on it. Some secrets are funny, some are sad, and some are very surprising. Frank believes that sharing a secret can help people feel relief , because they don’t have to hide it anymore. Over time, the project has created an online community where people understand that everyone has private thoughts and feelings. Many visitors say that reading other people’s secrets gives them courage , because they know they are not alone. 4. Reading Comprehension (10 mi...

  Words to review tonight: *abroad, living overseas, perspective, absurd, bizarre, eccentric, go through a difficult time, empathy, eventually, homesick, odd Randomly: done without planning I chose a student randomly to teach my class.   Shocking: very surprising Countless: so many I have taught countless people English. Anonymously: you do it without putting your name (it’s unknown who did it) Preserve: keep in original condition We want to preserve this building. Obviously: it’s so clear. You obviously hate your job! Creativity: ability to make new things *You are a creative person.   You have a lot of creativity.   The remains: all that is left of something Heroism: an action that requires bravery I admire you for your heroism.   You are a hero.   You are heroic.   You have a lot of heroism.   To play out: to see how it will conclude *The students struggled on the first exam, but that doesn’t mean they will f...

 *For next week, you will write a short story in which someone demonstrates bizarre/absurd behavior of some kind.  You will then read it to the class.   Example: Josh went to the cafe, waiting for his friend Jim to arrive.  He waited for a long time, but eventually he gave up.  He texted and called Jim, but he got no answer.   He returned home and tried to reach him again that evening.  He did.  Jim said he didn't come because he changed his mind. "You changed your mind?" Josh asked surprised. "Yep, I just changed my mind," was all Jim could answer. Josh was startled.  He couldn't believe his friend didn't show up to get coffee with him and didn't bother to tell him.  He hadn't even gotten a message.  It was so disrespectful.  But he tried to keep his composure. "Fine," Josh said.  "But, next time tell me in advance if you can't make it."  "Sure thing buddy," Jim replied. The next week they were supposed to ...

Warm-up Discussion: What is bizarre behavior you have seen recently? For example, I was at a restaurant, and the employee was angry at the manager, so they began using obscenities with one another.  He said, "I don't like how you talk to me!"  And, the manager said ......really bad words.   Vocabulary related to strange behavior.  All of these words are synonyms of one another: bizarre eccentric  peculiar odd strange  absurd  outlandish  Group activity.   Act out a situation where someone is behaving in an odd/peculiar/outlandish way.  

What was a life-changing experience for you? For example, living overseas was a huge life-changing experience for me.  I was outside of my community for the first time.  At first, it was really challenging, and I became so homesick .  I went  through a lot of difficult times while living abroad .  However, it eventually changed my life for the better.  I became a wiser person with more knowledge and understanding of other people.  I also gained a lot of empathy about other people's perspectives of the world. Vocab :  living overseas: living outside of your country homesick: missing your home  eventually: something that happens at some point, but at an unknown time  empathy: feelings of understanding towards other people  perspective: a way of seeing things  go through (a difficult time): experience something hard  abroad: similar to overseas, outside of your country  Questions:  1. Do you enjoy living overseas...

Vocabulary:    dream, goal, hope, achieve, plan, in the future, someday, before I die, I want to… My dream is to make my own movie.   Learning English is a goal of mine.  I hope to own my own business someday. I want to achieve great success in my life. In the future , I will be the CEO of my own company. Someday , I will live in other countries. Practice: Students complete 3–5 sentences using the pattern: Before I die, I want to __________ because __________. Activity:  Give students sticky notes, index cards, or slips of paper (or use a big poster sheet). Each student writes 3–5 “Before I die…” sentences neatly and colorfully. Collect and post them on a “Before I Die” classroom wall, door, or bulletin board. When finished, let students walk around and read others’ posts silently (a gallery walk).

 By Nate Feldman Warm-up Discussion: 1.            What things are private for you? Ex. I think talking about boyfriends and girlfriends is private . 2.            Do you like to speak in public ? Ex. I don’t like to speak in public because I am shy. 3.            When do you feel depressed ? Ex. I feel depressed when I get a bad score on an exam. 4.            What is your response when someone gets angry at you? Ex. When someone gets angry at me, my response is to ask them why they are like this?     1.    All of the people in one group or area = community 2.    Information = data 3.    Very unhappy = depressed 4.    Causing great sadness = heartbreaking 5.    Where anyone can see or hear =...

 By Nate Feldman 1. I was surprised by some of the responses people wrote on the wall.   2. This is a very private issue, so I don’t talk about it with people very often.   3. She is shy and doesn’t like to speak in public.   4. He is depressed because his mother is very sick, and his father died a few months ago.