Holiday Activities!

Check out some of the fun holiday activities going on around Wake County this month!

Raleigh's first Winterfest - with outdoor ice skating!
http://news14.com/charlotte-news-104-content/top_stories/618445/raleigh-s-1st-winterfest-to-feature-downtown-ice-skating

First Night is a fun event for all ages.
http://www.firstnightraleigh.com/home.html

Christmas Music and History of Christmas

Check out the 401 North Campus ESL site. It has fun Web Radio stations with Christmas music. (Thanks Valeria!) There is also a neat link to the history of Christmas:
http://www.history.com/video.do?name=christmas&bcpid=2647858001&bclid=1675979322&bctid=1586348684

Fall Semester Ends....Make Plans to Practice Your ENGLISH!

The fall semester of ESL classes at WTCC will end soon! Most sites only have one more week remaining of class....Make sure you know when to return for registration for spring semester; most ESL sites will do this the 1st week of January 2010.

Bookmark these ESL sites now so you can use this as a tool to practice your English during the holiday break. All sites listed to the right will maintain links and maybe even activities for you to practice your English at home or wherever you use the internet.

The Thanksgiving Holiday

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A quick reminder to everyone -- there will be no ESL classes next Thursday, 11/26, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Most sites are also closed Wednesday and Friday, and some have the whole week off. Please check your site's blog (see the links on the right side of this page) to find the exact days.

On Thanksgiving we normally get together with our family (and sometimes with close friends ) and have a big meal together. We try to think about all the things we are grateful (thankful) for in our lives - family, friends, health - and education!. A traditional Thanksgiving meal often includes turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkin pie for dessert!

Do you have a holiday or celbration like this in your country? Have you ever had a traditional Thanksgiving meal in the U.S.?

Here is a short reading about Thanksgiving, with lots of pictures and vocabulary
http://www.elcivics.com/esl-thanksgiving.html

This site tells about the history of Thanksgiving -- and many other holidays.
http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving

This is an interesting article on "myths" about the first Thanksgiving
http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/mayflower-myths

Happy Turkey Day!

BOOK SALE!!!

Make plans now to attend ...........A great way to work on your English ~ READING!

Wake County Public Libraries’ ANNUAL BOOKSALE—300,000 books!!!
NEW LOCATION AND EXPANDED SCHEDULE!!
Saturday, November 14, 10 am - 8 pm
Sunday, November 15, 10 am - 6 pm
Wednesday, November 18, 10 am - 8 pm
Thursday, November 19, 10 am - 8 pm
Friday, November 20, 10 am - 8 pm

PRICES FOR THE FIRST 5 DAYS ARE $4.00 FOR HARDBOUND BOOKS; $1.00 FOR PAPERBACK BOOKS

Saturday, November 21, 10 am - 8 pm HALF PRICE DAY: HARDBOUND BOOKS $2.00; $.50 FOR PAPERBACK BOOKS
Sunday, November 22, 10am - 6 pm $5.00 PER BOX; $2.00 PER BAG BAGS & BOXES PROVIDED BY LIBRARY; CUSTOMER PACKS

New Location: 1514 Garner Station Blvd. (North portion of the South Station Shopping Center) Raleigh, NC 27603

See website for more details---
http://www.wakegov.com (click) Libraries (click) events (click) booksale

Halloween and All Saints' Day

We've just finished the season of spooks and spirits, and today, November 1st, is a day to honor saints as well as departed loved ones in many Catholic countries. (All Saints' Day)

We'd love to hear about any similar traditions you have, from the "Day of the Dead" celebrations, to All Saints Day, to practices honoring ancestors in your country.

In the spirit of Halloween, several classes have also been discussing common superstitions in their countries. Are black cats bad luck in your country? How about the number 13? Is breaking a mirror an ill omen in your country?

Please post a comment and help us learn more about your culture. **Be sure to write the NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY in your post so we know where the tradition comes from. Thanks!

Teacher Resources ~ Check it out!!!

We had a great time taking in all that Michele Cona (from REEP) shared at the WTCC training we did in conjuction with the Carolina TESOL Fall Conference. I know some of you could not attend, but this training was so good, it will be worth your time to check out the presentation and resources she (M. Cona) has put on a site for us to use as a resource. I have the link listed below. If you came Thursday but could not come on Friday, her workshop focusing on using the internet with low level ESL student, was so practical and useful, these resources are also on the link below. Please share this with your co-workers so they can check out the ideas and links she shares on the site below.
Take time to lookover the REEP site for students and teachers, http://www.reepworld.org/ . We have a vast amount of resources at our fingertips....
Enjoy!
PS....As an instuctor, could you post a comment as to what would be a helpful way to implement the ideas you heard about, at the Technology Training with Michele Cona.
Michele's workshop website:
http://october29adultesltech.pbworks.com

Pronunciation Video

Take a look at this great pronunciation video from Apex ESL.
http://apexesl.blogspot.com/
It will help you practice a sound that many students have difficulty with, the "th."

You can find other pronunciation videos at http://www.englishmeeting.com/ (click on "Students") or go to http://www.youtube.com/ and type "English pronunciation practice" into the search box.

The Flu, Diwali, Recycling and the State Fair!

Take a look at our ESL blogs below for great links and information about:

1) How to stay healthy during flu season - http://eslssc.blogspot.com/
2) The Diwali festival that was last weekend in Cary - http://eslssc.blogspot.com/
3) The new plastic bottle ban (and Recylcing!) - http://learning2live-gumc.blogspot.com/
4) What to do with old cell phones - http://401nesl.blogspot.com/
5) The upcoming NC State Fair! (Thursday, October 15 to Sunday, October 25)
- http://esladhs.blogspot.com/

We are lucky to be at Wake Tech!

Our blogger at the CHOC site has found out how lucky we are to have such great ESL opportunities here at Wake Tech. Take a look at his most recent post:
http://choc-esl.blogspot.com/

Wake Tech Student Newsletter

Check out the Wake Tech Student Newsletter, "News for You," on the ESL @Millpond blog http://millpond-esl.blogspot.com/. (Also see links on right, below.) It contains information on free and low-cost immigration services (on p.2), tips on staying healthy during flu season (p.1), a vocabulary section (p.1), and links to useful resources, such as ESL quizzes and exercises (p.1) and Goodwill, Interact and Wake Teen Medical Services (p.4).

Registration for Fall '09 ESL classes

Many of our ESL sites are registering students again this week. Click on the link below to find out where we are offering ESL classes this semester: http://basicskills.waketech.edu/ESL/classes.php

Find the most convenient site for you, then find out when the next registration is for this location on pp 6-7 of this website:
http://conted.waketech.edu/schedules/schedule_pdfs/wtcc_conted_classes.pdf

Some ESL locations may be registering a few students one last time during the first week of November (most on Monday, 11/2). Many will not be registering again until January.

The International Festival of Raleigh

Thanks to the COC site for this information!

Raleigh's International Festival is this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Come downtown and enjoy great music, dancing, and delicious food from all over the world! It's a great place to practice your English too.

What: The 24th International Festival of Raleigh
Where: Raleigh Convention Center
When: Friday from 12:30-9:30pm;Saturday 10am-10pm; and Sunday 12-6pm.
Click here to see the Performance Schedule
Click here for great pictures!

We are growing!!

We had our 1st blog training tonight!! Take a look at our "blog list" to see the latest ESL EL/Civics blogs! This is going to be fun and so helpful to all of us!

More to come!

Joining the world of technology

Welcome to the newest journey in EL/Civics at WTCC! Coming in the fall of 2009, websites for all ESL sites at Wake Tech!
These sites will be a venue for students to share their experiences, ask questions, and find out information about community opportunities & activities. Instructors will be able to share lessons and other information with one another, as well as their students.
Stay tuned, it's going to be fun and so helpful!

EL/Civics at Wake Tech CC

Welcome to the future home of Wake Tech's EL/Civics Blog.