Listening to Easter

Take dictation of this child’s telling of Easter. Check it a few times before referring to the answer below. Publish your original transcript with its video link on your blog.

ANSWER IS HERE:

Let's Welcome the Summer with an Article for NewsLINC!

After a long and, for some, dreary winter, here comes the call for our summer edition of NewsLINC, the LINC Home Study magazine of articles by learners like you.

Let's draft our articles by May 7, make all the necessary edits, and select some appropriate pictures for submission before the publication deadline. You should start thinking of the topic, which you can choose from the table below.

Would you like to write about how you're feeling a little more Canadian when you wake up each morning? Would you like to share a secret talent or skill that no one knows about? Or perhaps your plans for this summer?

Pick out a topic and post your draft onto your blog today!

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 summer: ·         Compare Canada Day with the national day from your homeland. ·         What are your summer vacation plans? ·         Describe your favourite summer destination in Canada. ·         What does “Dog Days of Summer” mean? ·         Should swimming lessons be mandatory for children? Why or why not?
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

When Is the Death Penalty Appropriate, If Ever?

Picture from Daily Mail of one of the convicts

Recently, some rapists have been sentenced to death in India. In Canada, we don't have the death penalty any more. What do you think about the death penalty? Please feel free to comment below.

JobBank Job Alerts: Make the Jobs Come to You via Email

You can try finding a job, or you can try to have the job find you. How would you like to see something like what I got this morning in my email:

There are 17 new jobs since your last job alert:

Date Posted	Job Title	Location	Employer	Source
Mar. 13	College instructor (MS Office- MS Excel & MS Outlook)	Etobicoke	Canadian College of Business, Science and Technology	Job Bank
Mar. 13	Instructor, heavy equipment operators - community college (Job-1216 - Heavy Duty Mechanic Professor / Instruc)	Toronto	Red Seal Recruiting	Job Bank
Mar. 11	Early childhood education instructor - college level (EXPERIENCE TEACHING EARLY CHILDCARE ASSISTANT)	Scarborough	Canadian All Care College	Job Bank
Mar. 10	Music teacher - conservatory of music (PIANO/VOCAL TEACHER)	Brampton	Ontario Conservatory of Music (Head Office)	Job Bank
Mar. 10	Music teacher - conservatory of music (VIOLIN TEACHER)	Brampton	Ontario Conservatory of Music (Head Office)	Job Bank
Mar. 10	Instructor - private training institute (Accounting and Payroll Instructor)	Toronto	Academy of Learning	Job Bank
Mar. 07	Business college teacher (to teach QuickBooks, ACCPAC, SAP FI)	Toronto	1326318 Ontario Inc. o/a Metro College of Technology	Job Bank
Mar. 07	Technological institute instructor (Software Quality Assurance instructor)	Scarborough	PURES COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY	Job Bank
Mar. 07	Computer training instructor (Database Testing)	Toronto	Royal College of Canada	Job Bank
Mar. 07	Computer training instructor (ETL Projects and UAT Training)	Toronto	Royal College of Canada	Job Bank
Mar. 06	Teacher, English as a second language (except elementary, high school or university) (Substitute Teacher)	Toronto	Canadian Language Learning College (CLLC)	Job Bank
Mar. 06	College teacher (English, French, Sciences Math)	Mississauga	Scholars Education Centre	Job Bank
Mar. 06	Instructor, college (Legal Administrative Assistant Instructor)	Mississauga	CDI College	Job Bank
Mar. 06	Nursing instructor (RN & RPN needed for PSW Course)	Toronto	Evergreen College	Job Bank
Mar. 05	College instructor (Web Development with PHP & MySQL) (NOC: 4131)	Scarborough	Canadian College of Business, Science and Technology	Job Bank
Mar. 05	Computer training instructor (Computer Skills-EXPERIENCE TEACHING MS OFFICE)	Scarborough	Canadian All Care College	Job Bank
Mar. 05	College instructor (Web Development with PHP & MySQL) (NOC: 4131)	Scarborough	Canadian College of Business, Science and Technology	Job Bank

Neat, eh? Additionally, in their email, they suggest other jobs that you might qualify for:

Click "Subscribe" to add an occupation to your subscription:

Related Occupations		Jobs		Job Market Information
				Median Wage	Outlook	Report
Subscribe Recreation, Sports and Fitness Program Supervisors and Consultants		3		23 $/h	n/a	+ more
Subscribe Education Policy Researchers, Consultants and Program Officers		2		33 $/h	n/a	+ more
Subscribe Other Instructors		47		18 $/h	n/a	+ more
Subscribe Elementary School and Kindergarten Teachers		38		36 $/h	(1 of 3 stars)	+ more
Subscribe Post-Secondary Teaching and Research Assistants		4		19 $/h	n/a	+ more

How to get those emails? All you have to do is to fill out this form and sign up for JobBank's Job Alerts!

How do you spell GHOTI?

One of the most well-known spelling games in English involves the word GHOTI, pronounced "fish." It's supposed to have come from GH as in enough (where gh sounds like f), O as in women (o sounds like i), and TI as in action (ti like sh). So you get the sound fish from GHOTI.

Anyhow, spelling is tough in English, and one of the biggest reasons is that the language is anything but pure. English is influenced by many languages. Can you think of some words from your first language that have made it into the English vocabulary?

One of several great online courses for free is the edX course Principles of Written English from UC Berkeley, and they have a page there on spelling with the following tips:

Learning to spell correctly does not have to be boring. There are several ways to practice spelling without just memorizing word lists or rules.
1. Play word games--Scrabble, Words with Friends, Hangman, etc. There are a lot of word games to keep you entertained while spelling words. This website also has some online games: http://www.spellingcity.com/spelling-games-vocabulary-games.html.
2. Dictation: In dictation, you listen to spoken text and write what you hear. Then, check your text against what was actually said. Dictations can be difficult, but they are very effective ways to create a connection between the written form of the word and the spoken word.
Try a practice dictation. In this exercise, you will hear the text spoken at regular speed. During this time, it is good to just listen and get the meaning of the text. Then, it will be spoken again, phrase by phrase. During this time, write down what you think you hear. It will then be spoken a third time at a slow pace so you can read your text as you listen and make final corrections. Remember, everything counts in a dictation--spelling, grammar, and punctuation. So listen carefully. Open a document or get out paper and pencil.
Dictation Exercise (mp3)After you have done this, go to the "handouts" area of this course and download the answer to the dictation. (This is not a scored homework.)
Here are some sites that address ways to improve spelling:
"Ten Tips for Better Spelling": http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0903395.html"How to Improve Your Spelling": http://www.spellzone.com/unit02/page1.cfm"Five Guidelines for Learning Spelling and Six Ways of Practicing Spelling": http://www.ldonline.org/article/6192/Dictation activities: http://www.englishclub.com/listening/dictation.htm

The Brits Can't Count. Can You?

Many adults struggle with math in the UK, and the Government has come up with a test to see how serious the situation is.

For many newcomers, the situation is different. They have a strong background in math but lack the ability to express their thinking in their second or other language. Feel free to check out your English numeracy ability, converting the currency to Canadian, e.g. 25p to 25 cents and ₤290 to $290:



When you have finished, check out the significance of the question levels from "entry" to "gold."

Icy, Icy: Niagara Falls as You've Never Seen It

The world watches as Niagara Falls freezes over:

If there's going to be a polar vortex, we might as well enjoy the pretty sight! Check out other pretty sights at this site.