Woohoo! Here Come Gold and Silver!

screen grabs from CBC Sports

 

Watch sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal here!

Spring Back to NewsLINC!

Almost no snow left!

Hello Folks,

Time to hit the outdoors, the fresh air, and the open water!

It's time again to think about the next edition of our NewsLINC student magazine!

This edition invites spring-related write-ups in addition to the usual stuff on biographies, traditional celebrations, recipes, etc. You're free to write on any of these topics and to post the articles on your blog. We will then edit your work a couple of times before submitting it for publication.

Please post your work on your blog by February 14, 2014. All the best on your sharing and writing!

Category	Description / Idea Prompts
Activity	Submissions reflecting sports and leisure activities.
Arts	Submissions related to the arts (visual arts, crafts, design, dance, film, literature, music, theatre). ·         Write a short story or poem. ·         Share your artistic talent/hobby. ·         Provide a review of your favourite book / movie / artist / etc.
Bios	Student profiles that exclude information about birth date or age.
Canada	Submissions which highlight Canada. ·         How do you describe Canada to your friends or family living abroad? ·         What do you like about living in Canada? ·         Write about a famous Canadian personality, landmark, historical event, etc. ·         Recommend places to visit or day trips in Ontario / Canada
Celebration	Occasions or events that result in celebration! ·         Share a personal success story (big or small) ·         Write about a special/milestone life event (wedding, birth, anniversary, etc.) ·         Write about a traditional celebration
General	If the submission does not fit with any of the other categories.
Heritage	Student reflections about their homeland or ethnic origins. ·         What do you miss the most about your homeland? ·         Describe a custom from your homeland ·         Write about where you came from
Recipe	Special recipes that have not been reproduced from the web or a book.
Seasonal	Submissions related to seasonal themes. Some ideas for spring: ·         Compare spring to winter. ·         Share your gardening tips. ·         Explain how maple syrup is made. ·         Describe your mother and why you appreciate her on Mother’s Day ·         Write about an environmental issue for Earth Day. ·         What do you like about spring?
Settlement	Student settlement stories. ·         Share a funny story about settling in Canada ·         What has surprised you the most? ·         What are some of the challenges you have faced? ·         What or who has helped you to adjust?
Skills	Tips, challenges and experiences related to finding work, working or learning in Canada. ·         Workplace culture ·         Looking for work / networking / volunteering ·         Studying / learning new skills

Watch the animals celebrate!

Would you ban these words?

Check out this article about a U.S. university banning certain words like twerking, YOLO, and selfie.

What do you think? Should we do the same in Canada?

Post your comment below!

Solemn Christmas Greetings from Toronto

Click below to see what it looks like:

Listening Exercise: The Original X'mas Story

What is Christmas about? This well-loved holiday in Canada has long roots in history. How long? Well, some people think it goes back to Santa Claus at his H0H 0H0 (Ho Ho Ho!) postal code in the North Pole. Others trace it back to Saint Nicholas of Myra (in today's Turkey), a generous church leader whose name later became "Santa Claus." Or does that history trace yet further back?

Fortunately, we still have hundreds of historical documents of the event, and they have been translated into English. Following are excerpts from a couple of those documents. Do the listening exercises, record your answers under Comments, and discuss them with your instructor.

Listen to this reading (right click and click on Open in New Tab) and take dictation on the following blanks:

1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, ___  ____  _______  ___  ___  ___  ____  ____. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.

 Listen to this narration (right click and click on Open in New Tab) and fill in the ten blanks:

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be (1) _____________. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own (2) _____________.

4 And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was (3) _____________. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give (4) _____________. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging (5) _____________.

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were (6) _____________. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be (7) _____________, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the (8) _____________: 11 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.12 This will be the (9) _____________ for you: You will find a (10) _____________ wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,and peace on earth to people He favors!
15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.

Check your answers in Hebrews 1 and Luke 2.

Are You Going to a Remembrance Day Service on November 11?

Here are a couple of exercises online for some background information on Remembrance Day (what else is it called?):

1. Take dictation from the following Vocaroo audio, check it with a partner, and post it on your blog:

Audio recording and upload >>
2. Listen to the following WWI diary entry, following along with the text with blanks below, and post the missing words on your blog:

Audio and voice recording >>


Sunday, December 19
No words can adequately describe the conditions. It’s not the (1) _____________ we’re fighting, but the weather. Within an hour of moving off, we were up to our knees in mud and (2) _____________.
The mud gradually got deeper as we advanced along the trench.
We hadn’t gone far before we had to duck; the enemy were sending over their evening salute of shells.



Pals battalion: Harry (centre left, marked in blue ink) joined the Second Birmingham Battalion alongside friends from home. Most of them died by the end of the war


To move forward, I had to use both elbows for leverage, one each side of the trench. After about one and a half hours of this, we reached the firing line. Later, I groped my way to our dugout. What a (3) _____________.
Imagine a (4) _____________ underneath the ground, whose walls are slimy with moisture. The floor is a foot or more (5) _____________ in rancid-smelling mud.*
3. Check out on Youtube.com, and perhaps learn to sing Canada's Royal and National Anthems; O God Our Help in Ages Past; Eternal Father, Strong to Save; and O Valiant Hearts, Who to Your Glory Came.
4. Watch the following video of the most famous poem of Remembrance Day. What is its title? Google for it. Discuss your thoughts with a partner.

* You can check your answers below:

Congratulations, Adelfa, Lorelei, and Luanne

Your classmates Luanne, Lorelei, and Adelfa have done it again--gotten published in the fall edition of LINC Home Study's student newsletter, NewsLINC!

Be sure to read their stories and many others.

And then spiff up your stories on your blog, and remind your instructor to submit them for the winter edition.