Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 6

12 WTF New Year's Eve Traditions

Number 6:  Possum Drop

See the full list here.  Number 9 will be familiar to most Austrians!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 5

An oldie, but a goodie!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 4

It's December 29, National Tick Tock Day - the clock is ticking on 2014. Have you done everything you wanted to do this year?  There's only a few hours left!

Scene from The Phantom Tollbooth, Time is a Gift (sung by Tock, the watchdog who ticks):

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 3

 

Check out this post at pleated-jeans.com to see more Signs that it's Too Damn Cold Out!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 2

First read this post!

O.K., so now you're probably wondering how much would it cost to give all those presents during the Twelve Days of Christmas:

Check out this slide show to find out how much those gifts would cost on today's market!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 1

The Twelve Days of Christmas are celebrated in the UK and the Commonwealth.  The 'twelve days' are the days between Christmas Day (December 25) and Epiphany (heilige Dreikönige).

Small gifts may be given each day during the twelve days of Christmas.  This tradition is celebrated in the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, which is a very popular Christmas carol in the English speaking world.

The presents in order are:
1st day - a partridge (Rebhuhn) in a pear tree
2nd day - two turtle doves (Turteltauben)
3rd day - three French hens
4th day - four calling birds
5th day - five golden rings
6th day - six geese (Gänse) a-laying
7th day - seven swans (Schwäne) a-swimming
8th day - maids a-milking
9th day - nine ladies dancing
10th day - ten lords a-leaping
11th day - eleven pipers piping
12th day - twelve drummers drumming

Here's a video you can sing along to:

1C - For Monday, December 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyWSTvwZPGY

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/slideshow/2014/12/01/slideshow-pnc-calculates-12-days-of-christmas-cost.html

http://efllecturer.blogspot.co.at/2011/10/merry-christmas-mr-bean.html

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we2iWTJqo98

Festivus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChmhQz5wsOI

5C - Presentations (January 29 - April 30)

These companies are leaders in the field of technology and manufacturing.  In your Referat your should talk about the company, its mission, its relationship to the environment  and discuss in detail AT LEAST ONE product that the company produces (include manufacturing, materials, specifics, reputation, etc.)

SCHEDULE
January 29 - Mario
February 5 - Thomas S., Thomas K.
February 12 - Mathias, Hannes
March 5 - Roland, Johannes
March 12 - Dominik D, Hasan
April 16 - Lukas, Marvin
April 23 - Lisa, Dominik J.
April 30 - Christoph, Niko

Marvin B. - General Motors
Christoph B. - Smith and Wesson
Dominik D - Aston Martin
Lukas D - Cessna
Johannes F. - John Deere
Matthias F. - Harley Davidson
Hannes G. - Liebherr
Dominik J. -
Niko K. - Cern?
Mario K. - Boeing
Thomas K - EOS
Roland L. - ThyssenKrupp
Lisa S. - Caterpillar
Thomas S. - Garrett Turbochargers
Hasan S. - Ford

16 Innovative Origins of HolidayTraditions

How to have A British Christmas

2C - Review of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

This is what a bad movie review looks like!
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2014/12/15/hobbit/e0UkcXAPelzxR2WPPGEwKL/story.html

1C - Lehrstoff for Schularbeit, Monday, January 12, 2015

CHAPTERS IN FOCUS ON MODERN TECHNOLOGY 1
0 - getting started, talking about yourself, school, English, jobs
Do you remember? -  verb "to be", "to have", question word order, personal pronouns, possessive pronouns
1 - Houses and Homes; talking about your house, your room, Nick Cooper, home appliances, tools
2 - Shopping: Shopping language, Adam steals a mobile phone, video surveillance,

GRAMMAR
personal pronouns
possessive pronouns
verb "to be", "to have"
regular verbs
irregular verbs
present simple
present progressive
past simple
past progressive

WORD ORDER (all tenses)
positive statement
negative statement
question

FORMAT - 1 hour
1 listening
1 reading
1 writing
Grammar section

How well do you pay attention?

Tenses and Formation

Thanks to Tobias Perner, 2C HTL Trieben!

1 HAS - Homework for Tuesday, December 16

For Tuesday, December 16

1) Do exercises a, b, and c on page 30 of your textbook, Just Go For It HAS 1. Do exercise c for your day on Tuesday.
2) Do exercise e on page 31.
3) You will speak for 1 minute about your weekend in the past tense. Make sure you have a good story to tell!

1C - "Homework" for Monday, December 15

We will practice verb forms in the first half of class.  After the break we will take the grammar revision.  You can practice with these Grammar Snack videos (there are exercises at the bottom of each Grammar Snack page!):

Present simple
+ I have football practice on Mondays.
- She doesn't have football practice
? When do you have football practice?

Present progressive (aka present continuous)
+ I am studying.
- He is not studying.
? Are you studying?

Past simple - Regular verbs
+ I failed the driving test.
- He failed his driving test.
? Did you fail the driving test?

Past simple - Irregular verbs
+ I took a taxi.
- She did not take a taxi.
? Did you take a taxi?

Past progressive
+ I was playing my guitar.
- She was not playing the guitar.
? What were you doing (when the car crashed into the tree)?

To be - Present and past
Present simple/present continuous:
+ I am at the cafe.
- He is not at the cafe.
? Where are you?

Past simple/past continuous.
+ He was late last time, too.
- I wasn't late.
? Were you late last time?

2C - Lehrstoff for Thursday, January 15, 2015

CHAPTERS
Focus on Modern Technology 1
Chapter 6 - Fitness and Food
Chapter 7 - Moving Pictures: TV and Cinema

TEXT TYPES
summary of an article,
review of film/book,
describing a person's character
(Group A - blog entry)

GRAMMAR
tenses die bisher gemacht wurden
passive voice
adverb/adjectives

FORMAT (Group A)
Expect
1 listening exercise
1 reading exercise
a little grammar
1 writing exercise

4IW - Homework for Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Setting up a business and drawing up a business plan

 
THE SET UP:  You and your partner want to set up a little business in high end home fragrances.  Your products are fragrance candles and fragrance dispensers, etc.

THE TASK:  Draw up a business plan for your home fragrance idea.

OR

If you have your own convincing business idea for which you would like to draw up a business plan, feel free to do so instead of using the business idea "Home Fragrances" (do a product, NOT a full business).

For defining the structure of your business plan you might find the file “MULÖbusinessplan” at L:/Fuchs/the apprentice helpful. Furthermore you can access the file “MuULÖbusinessplan” via the blog of Prof. Sandrock.

Work out a business plan in pairs and submit it by January 7, 2015.

Be aware that the business plan will be graded.  Copying from classmates does not pay!  Submit your own individual business idea!

For inspiration, watch Episode 3 of "The Apprentice" UK 2014, Series 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T24cjNvrTg

Good Luck!  

Prof. Fuchs and Prof. Sandrock

America is a Bad Boyfriend

Leave your comments and observations in the Comments box below!

9C - Lehrstoff for Schularbeit Thursday, December 11

As announced in class on Thursday, December 4, the format of the Schularbeit will be:

1-2 listenings
1 reading
1-2 writings

The topics we have covered (Lehrstoff) are:
- DJ Hardwell
- Life philosophies
- Guns and Violence
- Guns and gun control in the USA
- Bowling for Columbine
- How to write an article

The writing section will include an article and perhaps a letter/e-mail (formal or informal).
Remember on the writing section, task achievement is everything.  Make sure your text follows the guidelines for the text type and that you pay attention to the task requirements. For a list of text types you can check the BIFIE webpage: https://www.bifie.at/system/files/dl/srdp_lfs_textsortencharakteristika_2013-06-20.pdf

3C - Blog Entry about Fad Diets

You are a student writing for TechnoEnglish, blog for HTL students to practice writing and reading English.  Write a blog entry informing your readers about fad diets.  In your entry you should

* define what the term "fad diet" means to you
* describe a fad diet that you think is particularly unhealthy
*Suggest ways in which people can live a healthy lifestyle without turning to fad diets

120 to 140 words

2C - Homework for Thursday, December 11

For Thursday, December 11

1) Download Englische Zeiten from Lehrer Schüler TAUSCH (2CHMBF - Sandrock - Englische Zeiten) If I forget to make a link to your class, you can find the same document under 1CHMBF). Start doing the exercises.

2) Read the Steadicam article on pages 111-112 of the handout (Movies and Films).  Be able to describe how a steadicam works in your own words, speaking freely.

PRESENTATION:  Florian, Valentin

4AHK - Lehrstoff für die Schularbeit, December 12, 2014

The Schularbeit on December 12 will be TWO HOURS

The tasks will be:
1 Listening
1 Reading
2 Texts (approximately 350 words total)

The exam will cover Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of your textbook, Focus on Modern Technology 4/5.
The written tasks we have this semester are:  press release (one announcing a product, one announcing a sponsorship), blog comment (response to Coke's sponsorship of the American Academy of Physicians), blog entry (Black Friday, formal letter/e-mail (letter of enquiry), advertising analysis (the tasks in bold are Matura tasks).

We've done a lot this semester!  You have learned about marketing (including product development, research and development, production, sponsorship, media/press releases), advertising (including analysing commercials and advertisements using the AIDA concept, logos and branding, how advertisements are designed), how to give your opinion about a blog entry or article (blog comment), how to ask for general and specific information (enquiry), how to write a public article for a specific internet audience and ask readers to comment (blog entry). Did I forget anything?!

See Exam Day Instructions and Consequences at http://ennsvalleyenglish.blogspot.co.at/2014/11/exam-day-instructions-and-consequences.html

4AHK - Homework for Tuesday, December 9

Q:  How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
A:  Practice, man, practice!
- George Carlin

For Tuesday, December 9, do some PRACTICE for the Schularbeit. All exercises are from your Focus on Modern Business 4/5 textbook).

- Chapter 2 - pp. 23-24 (Reading: complete the sentence with a maximum of 4 words)
- Chapter 2 - pp. 25-26 (Reading: True/False justification)
- Chapter 3 - pp. 36-37 (Reading:  match the correct heading to the paragraph)
- Chapter 3 - pp. 37-38 (Listening: True/False)

The first three exercises are Matura tasks.

In class, we will do one last listening exercise.  Then we can go over any of the practice answers you are unsure about.

I checked the key for the reading we did in class Tuesday.  For the questions 7 and 8:
7 - A is the correct answer. Justification:  'they're less good at anticipating problems'  B is incorrect, because the writer does not link speed and confidence.
8 - A is the correct answer.  Justification 'it's also a big thing on my CV'.  B is incorrect, because as y'all pointed out, we only know how the writer feels, not what her superiors think.

I will review the papers you handed in on Tuesday before I submit midterm grades. Thanks for handing everything in on time!

Enjoy this video from George Carlin!

9C - More violence near Ferguson

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/02/protests-sparse-after-pack-hammer-wielding-teens-beats-man-to-death-in-shadow/

1C - Homework for Monday, December 15

1) Rewrite your Lego Shopping text.  Make sure you follow these guidelines:
* write the text in the past simple tense
* use organizational words and phrases (first, next, after that, then, finally)
* At least one sentence should use past progressive:  While the man was giving a speech, a streaker ran across the stage.

2) On December 15, we will have a grammar revision which will include present simple, present progressive (these were on the last grammar revision), past simple and past progressive. You will have to know how to form positive statements, negative statements, and questions, and when to use each tense.

You can practice by downloading Englische Zeiten from Lehrer für Schüler Tausch -> 1CHMBF -> Sandrock -> Englische Zeiten