Category: Class 03

Answer one of the questions below in a short opinion paragraph. (75-100 words)

1. Background information: Explain your texting style. Are you someone who would text “See you later.” or “c u l8r”? Give an example of something you text (Korean is okay, but explain it in English).
   • Do you think the way we text has had a negative effect on language?
2. Take another look at Reading Two and the warnings Tyagi, Sigman, and Greenfield give about using social networking sites. Do you think the possible effects they talk about are something we should worry about? Do you think social networking sites create more benefits than problems?
   • Be sure to include a counterargument (see page 217).

Please complete the following before our next class:

Pg. 209-10 – Reading Skill, Exercises A and B

Pg. 211-12 – Reading 2 Vocabulary

Pg. 212-3 – Read “Social Networking Sites: Are They Changing Human Communication?”

Pg. 214-5 – Main Ideas and Details

Questions to guide your reading: Social Networking Sites: Are They Changing Human Communication?

• How do people use the Internet to communicate?
  • What do some people fear because of technology?
  • Are there good reasons to fear this?
• Who is Himanshu Tyagi, and what did he warn us about?
  • Why would social networking sites have a negative effect?
• What does Dr. Aric Sigman think could happen because of our use of social networking sites?
  • What kinds of biological results could there be?
• What did scientist Susan Greenfield say could result?
  • How would our minds become more childlike?
• Are there positive aspects of social networking sites?
  • What are they?
• What lesson can we learn from examining the positive and negative aspects of social networking sites?

See you in class!

Please complete the following before our next class:

Pg. 204 – Exercises C and D

Pg. 205 – Reading 1 Vocabulary

Pg. 206-7 – Read “2b or not 2b”

Pg. 208-9 – Main Ideas and Details

Also, prepare to answer the following discussion questions in class:

• Which social networking sites (like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, KakaoStory, Cyworld) do you use? Why are some better than others?
• How do you communicate with your family and friends when you’re apart?
  • Do you text? Do you use KakaoTalk? Other apps?
  • Do you still use your phone for talking?
• What are some common abbreviations you use (in English or Korean) when texting?
  • Ex. LOL = Laughing Out Loud
  • Ex. ROFL = Rolling On the Floor Laughing

Questions to guide your reading: 2b or not 2b?

• What kinds of names are being given to texting?
• How have people thought of the effect of technology on language?
  • What kinds of feelings has texting caused?
• What is different about texting?
  • Do people break rules of language randomly when texting?
  • How are people who text changing language?
• What is a rebus?
  • How long have we been rebuses?
  • What shortened words from long ago are commonly used today?
• What is novel (new) about texting today?
  • Are there benefits to texting this way?
  • What is the effect on literacy?

See you in class!

Answer the question below in a short paragraph. (75-100 words)

The actor Paul Newman spent the last years of his life donating hundreds of millions of dollars to charities through his brand Newman’s Own. Do you know of any other celebrities who have used their fame to help others?

Explain:

• who this person is (an actor, a politician, etc.),

• what cause they’ve been supporting (fighting disease, helping the poor, etc.), and

• what effects their efforts have had.

Please complete the following before our next class:

Pg. 186-7 – Reading Skill

Pg. 187-8 – Reading 2 Vocabulary

Pg. 189-90 – Read “Money Makes You Happy — If You Spend It on Others”

Pg. 191-2 – Main Ideas and Details

Questions to guide your reading: Money Makes You Happy — If You Spend It on Others

• Can money buy you happiness?
• What is the correlation between amounts of money and gains in happiness?
• How was this correlation tested?
• What did the research show?
• How was the study conducted?
• What is “prosocial” spending? What effect did it have on people’s happiness?
• What did researchers learn from Tim and Dan?
• Does other research support this?
• What does Tal Ben-Shahar ask his students to do? What results do the students get?
• What did the Science study show about the amount of money spent?
• Did the amount of money matter? Who gained more happiness?
• Does this mean money isn’t important?
• Why is how one spends their money more important?
• Why don’t more people realize that spending money on others is a reliable road to happiness?
• How did Professor Dunn give her family the gift of giving?

See you in class!

Please complete the following before our next class:

Pg. 180 – Exercise C

Pg. 180-1 – Reading 1 Vocabulary

Pg. 183-4 – Read “How a Ugandan Girl Got an Education”

Pg. 184-5 – Main Ideas and Details

Also, prepare to answer the following discussion questions in class:

• Have you ever given money to help someone or an organization? Why? How did it make you feel?
• What kinds of organizations ask for money? How is the money used?
• What do you think this saying means? Do you agree with it?

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Questions to guide your reading: How a Ugandan Girl Got an Education

• Who is Beatrice Biira? How was she able to accomplish what she did?
• How did Beatrice grow up?
• What happened to Beatrice’s family in 1993?
• What is Heifer and what do they do?
• How did Beatrice’s family get involved with Heifer?
• What did Beatrice’s family name the goat? Why?
• How did the goat help Beatrice?
• How did Beatrice do in school?
• How did Beatrice’s children’s book come about?
• What happened to the children’s book?
• How did the success of Beatrice’s Goat help Beatrice herself?
• Did Beatrice have an easy time adjusting?
• Where did Beatrice decide to attend college and what did she plan to study?
• What are her plans for the future?

See you in class!

What is a problem your city has that is lowering the quality of life? What do you think is a solution to this problem?

Write a problem/solution paragraph (75-100 words) answering the questions above.

• Review “Ideas for Ending Our Traffic Problems” in the Writing Skill section (pp. 170-1) for help.
  • Write only a paragraph. A full essay is not necessary. I’ll be looking for:
• a THESIS STATEMENT that introduces the topic and states the problem,
• a BODY that describes possible solutions, and
• a CONCLUSION that restates the problem and summarizes the solution.

Your paragraph is DUE THURS 30 OCTOBER, 11:59 pm
Your reply to your classmate is DUE FRI 31 OCTOBER, 11:59 pm
When replying to classmate, don’t just say “I agree!” or something similar. Add to the conversation with a two or three sentences of a detailed thought.

I will ask the class several discussion questions. Students should answer with specific examples. To receive participation points, students must raise their hands and share their thoughts. Prepare to discuss the following in class.

• What do you think are advantages and disadvantages to living in an eco-city like Masdar?
• Are any of the ideas mentioned in Reading 2 used in Korea (besides Cheonggye Cheon, of course)?
• What problems does your city have that are lowering the quality of life?
  • What do you think are solutions to these problems?
  • Do you know if other cities are doing this?

See you in class!

Please complete the following before our next class:

Pg. 162-3 – Reading Skill, Exercises A and B

Pg. 164 – Reading 2 Vocabulary

Pg. 165-6 – Read “”Out of the Box” Ideas for Greener Cities”

Pg. 167 – Main Ideas and Details

Questions to guide your reading: “”Out of the Box” Ideas for Greener Cities”

• What are local governments doing to make cities more energy efficient? Why?
• In what strange place are some new farms being built?
• What is indoor farming? What are the benefits?
• What role will skyscrapers play?
  • What are the benefits of farming this way?
• What is an alternative to building things?
• What happened to old Cheonggye Stream?
  • What did Lee Myung-bak do?
  • How long did it take? What was the result?
• What is the “Bicing” program in Spain?
  • What are the benefits of this program?
• What does it mean to “think outside the box”? Why should we do this?

Also, prepare to answer the following discussion questions in class:

• Are any of the ideas mentioned in Reading 2 used in Korea (besides Cheonggye Cheon, of course)?
• What is one change your city could make to improve quality of life?

See you in class!

Please complete the following before our next class:

Pg. 156 – The Carbon Footprint Quiz

Pg. 157-8 – Reading 1 Vocabulary

Pg. 159-160 – Read “New Zero-Carbon City to Be Built”

Pg. 161-2 – Main Ideas and Details

Also, prepare to answer the following discussion questions in class:

• Are you green? In other words, do you live in a way that is environmentally responsible?
• Would you like to live in a green city?
• Are there any green cities in Korea?

Questions to guide your reading: “New Zero-Carbon City to Be Built”

• What unlikely thing is happening in Abu Dhabi?
• What makes Masdar an eco-city? What is its cost and size?
• What is a PRT? How does it work?
• How important will recycling be in Masdar?
• Will the residents of Masdar be comfortable? Explain.
• Who is helping to make this project possible?

What do you think are advantages and disadvantages to living in Masdar City?

Some people in Reading 1 (like curioustoknow76 and realitysam) posted different opinions about Masdar. With whom do you agree? Why?

See you in class!