Nate's 21st Century Communication

 By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Group Presentations about Problems and how you would solve them  *We will do our class presentations Story: Irate Neighbor Mr. Brown was an irate neighbor who became angry very easily. He liked everything to be quiet and clean in his neighborhood. If children were rambunctious or someone parked in the wrong place, he would complain immediately. One afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Lee parked a large moving truck in front of Mr. Brown’s house while they carried furniture into their new home. The truck blocked part of his driveway for a few minutes. When Mr. Brown saw the truck, he blew his top . He ran outside and started shouting. “This is an egregious problem!” he yelled. “You cannot block my driveway like this!” The Lee family felt embarrassed. They apologized and explained that they would move the truck soon. However, Mr. Brown continued complaining loudly. An older neighbor named Mrs. Garcia heard the noise and came outside. She smiled kindl...

 By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Take Vocabulary quiz for words learned this session in class.   Option 1: Resume our discussion about bad neighbors and how to deal with them Option 2: Work with your groups on the presentation tomorrow.   Vocabulary: Irate: very angry Outraged : same as irate To blow one’s top: get so angry Story: One day, I was walking with my children, who were like 8 and 7 at the time, because they were selling girl scout’s cookies to the people o the street.   We arrived at the house across the street from ours.   The older man opened the door, and we told him we were selling Girl Scout cookies.   Suddenly, he became so irate at us. “The girl scouts are killing us with their cookies!” he yelled. He was so outraged .   “They fill their cookies with so much sugar and unhealthy things!”   He was ready to blow his top!   “OK, I’m sorry,” I said.   And we walked away.  

 By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Using vocabulary from class in discussions/working on group presentations  Warm-up discussion:  1. Who or what irritates you? 2. Where do you see rambunctious children?  3. Who is someone that made an issue with you about something that didn't need to? 4. Have you ever intervened in someone else's problem?  How did you intervene?  Note: Small vocabulary quiz tomorrow with words from class.  Know the following words: *irritating *unruly  *sugary *intervene *guidelines  *cut back on  *toss *punitive  *penalize  *an eyesore 

  Class Objective: Debate how to deal with unruly neighbors  Warm-up: Discuss the questions 1. Does anyone in your community bother you?  What are things they do which annoy you? 2. Is anyone in your community very loud?  How do people feel about them? 3. Did you ever fight, either verbally or physically, with a neighbor?  If not, have you heard of neighbors fighting? Vocab 1. Unruly : disruptive 2. Irritating : something that bothers you? 3. Rambunctious : loud and annoying; usually said about children  4. to handle (something): deal with it in an effective way  5. to create, or make, an issue: to make a problem out of something  6. to intervene: get in the middle of something, get between two people Bad Neighbors Living in an apartment building or a neighborhood can be enjoyable, but sometimes people have problems with their neighbors. A bad neighbor can make daily life stressful. They may play loud music late at night, leave trash outside, ...

By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Building speaking skills through discussion with class related vocabulary; building listening skills  Warm-up: Discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. Is there anything you need to cut back on , or reduce, in your life?  For example, I need to cut back on the amount of Netflix I watch.   2. What do you think people need more awareness about?  For example, I think people need more awareness about time management. 3. What are some guidelines you have for people to have more success in their life?  Guidelines are similar to recommendations, advice, or principles you have.    

  By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Take sides on a debate how to deal with people throwing garbage in the streets Warm-up Discussion: 1. Have you received a fine for something? 2. What is something you find to be punitive?   3. How did teachers in your schools penalize poorly behaved students? 4. What is an area you find to be an eyesore? 5. Do you toss your clothing on the floor, or do you put it in the closet?  Be honest.   Reading:  Essay:  Should People Be Penalized for Throwing Trash on the Streets? In many cities, street cleanliness is an important issue. Some people feel that those who  litter  should face strong consequences, while others think education is a better solution. This essay will discuss both sides of the debate. On one hand, there are strong reasons to  penalize  people who  toss  trash in public places. First, litter makes the environment look like  an eyesore . Streets full of garbage appea...

By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Debating the value of punishing people who throw trash on the ground  Warm-up Discussion:  1. Where do you see a lot of garbage? 2. Do you ever pick up someone else's garbage? 3. Do you think there are appropriate punishments for people who throw garbage on the street? 4. Have you ever thrown garbage on the street?  Be honest. Key Words: 1. litter (v.) = to throw trash on the ground  2. filthy (adj.) = very dirty 3. a fine (n.) = a financial punishment 4. toss (v.) = to throw something  5. an eyesore (n.) = something that is painful to look at  6. penalize (v.) = give someone a punishment  7. punitive (adj.) = something very punishing or harsh  8. unpleasant (adj.) = not nice to look at or be around  9. pride (n.) = feeling good about oneself  Essay:  Should People Be Penalized for Throwing Trash on the Streets? In many cities, street cleanliness is an important issue. Some people feel that thos...

By Nate Feldman Sugar is a common part of the American diet . It is found not only in desserts like cakes and cookies, but also in many everyday foods such as bread, cereal, sauces, and drinks.  Even though many of these things are considered healthy food, like cereal, juice and yogurt, many of them have a lot of extra sugar. Many people in the United States eat more sugar than they realize because it is added to processed foods to improve taste and increase shelf life . Consuming too much sugar can cause several health problems . It is linked to weight gain , tooth decay , and diseases like diabetes and heart disease . Sugary drinks , such as soda and energy drinks, are one of the biggest sources of added sugar . These drinks do not make people feel full , so they often take in extra calories without noticing. There are several ways to cut back on sugar in the diet. First, people can read food labels carefully to check how much sugar is added. Choosing fresh foods , like f...

By Nate Feldman Class Objective: Discussing the role of government in regulating sugar in our diets Warm-up: 1. Did you eat anything sweet this weekend?  Did you eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert?   2. How often do you eat sweet things?   3. Do you think you eat more sugar here than in your country?  4. Are sweet things an important part of special occasions in your culture (i.e. wedding cakes, pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving etc.)  Group Project:  *Spend time discussing your plans for your presentation next week.  One group can go later this week if ready (because students are returning home).  Later this Week: We will do a listening activity (receptive activity) based on a text I am putting on this blog about sugar in the American diet and what can be done about it.  We can do the listening activity on Thursday.