July 28

Please go back to yesterday's handout. There are two to three writing tasks that we have postponed. Each one of you is required to pick one of these tasks and write an email or letter to a friend.

After that, get a partner to edit it for you, following the system we had before. 



Hi Lily,

How  are you feel better today? Yesterday we had an orientation meeting.  We talked about new hire training and our co workers' working condition.You know, a lot of new comers in our department.In our meeting, we discussed the problems of new hires and maybe we can share  much more our experience to them.For new hires, they need to learn the ropes. However, we found most of them do not fit in very well. Maybe we will provide help  to them. But you know two new persons adapted in our company very well. And Jack,you know he is very funny gay. He always say many jokes. sometimes he is a little slacking-off.  But we all like him. For Jane, she is also very humor and articulate, and she worked hard so far. Other people are still so quiet. I just don't know them well yet. Our manager assigned supervisors to them,   Whatever, we hope you feel better now.

best regards,

Asheley



Edited by Lucy:

Hi Lily,

How  areDo you feel better today? Yesterday we had an orientation meeting.  We talked about new hire training and our co-workers' working condition.You know, there are a lot of new comers in our department. In our meeting, we discussed about the problems of new hires, and maybe we can shared  much moresome our experience to them. For new hires, they need to learn the ropes. However, we found most of them do not fit in very well. Maybe we willcan provide help  to them. But you know there are two new persons who adapted in our company very well. And you konow Jack,you know he is very the funny gay., Hewho always says many jokes., sometimes he is a little slacking-off.  But we all like him. For Jane, she is also very humorous and articulate, and she worked hard so far. Other people are still so quiet. I just don't know them well yet. Our manager assigned supervisors to them, .  Whatever, we hope you feel better now.

best regards,


Asheley

July 25

Good afternoon everyone,

In order to get familiar with the Canadian workplace, there are a lot of things we need to consider. 

Here is a list of business idioms that are taken from this website. Please go over them and try to understand each one’s meaning and then follow the tasks below.

Task one: 

Pick five to six of the following idioms and use them in sentences of your own.

Task two:

Compose a short story about any event/meeting that has happened to you at your previous workplace. Use at least five to six from these idioms n your story.

Take three:

Request two from your peers to check and edit your work before you publish it on your blog.

Task one: 

get /have one's foot in the door
My sister sent her resume to an new company then she received an offer , she was very happy to get her food in the door at the new company.

up in the air
I want pass the Seneca test,but I have not been decided yet.  Everything's still up in the air.

white collar
I look for a white collar job.

under the table
Don't make any transactions under the table.

yes man
Every one all like partner who is a yes man.

 Task two:

My friend Rose who came to Canada three years ago. She was a teacher before she came to our company. She is upper hand now.In our company we have a meeting every morning. She get used to have a small talk before meeting. She usually told us about her story and She was a good teacher.She want to be a white collar and want not to be a blue collar. We all know if she talk about this her hands are tied.

July 22

1. Preparation: matching

Do this exercise before you listen. Match the verb with the correct noun and write a – g next to the numbers 1 – 7.

1…e….. take                                                                                       a. a designer

2…g….. listen to                                                                                b. your scooter

3…d….. watch                                                                                   c. a business

4……f.. stroke (= move your hand gently over something)         d. films

5…b….. park                                                                                      e. photos

6……a.. make it as (= be successful as)                                         f. the cat

7……c.. set up (= start)                                                                    g. music

2. Check your understanding: matching

Match the speakers with their favourite things. Write a – e next to the numbers 1 – 5.

1…a….. Speaker                   A a. a tablet

2…e….. Speaker                   B b. a sewing machine

3…c….. Speaker                   C c. a scooter

4…b….. Speaker                   D d. a set of knives

5…d….. Speaker                   E e. a cat

3. Check your understanding: gap fill

Do this exercise while you listen. Write the word to fill the gaps.

A. My favourite thing has to be my new tablet. It’s really light and quite ___small__________, so I take it with me everywhere. I’m always writing  message to friends and it’s big enough to do college work on it too. It takes really good ______photos_______, and I play games and listen to ____music_________ on it as well, of course. I often download _____films________ onto it, and watch them in _____bed________. My mum says I’m __addicted___________, because I’m always on it. I even read things on it at breakfast time. I’m not allowed to at ____dinner_________ time, though. I have to be ____polite_______ and talk to people then. “Welcome back to real life,” my mum says.

B. My favorite thing? Does my ______cat_______ count as a thing? She’s not really a thing, but anyway. She’s a really _______beautiful______ little cat. I’ve had her since she was ____4_________ months old. You know how some cats are really _______in-depend______ and hardly talk to you? I know cats don’t really talk, but you know what I mean. Well, she’s not like that at all. She’s really _____affectionate________ and comes up to me as soon as I get home, purring away like mad. She makes a lot of ___noises__________ for a tiny thing. She loves being stroked and comes and curls up next to me when I’m on the ___sofa__________. She’s great ___companion__________.

C. My new scooter! It’s quite small, but ____fun_________, and just what I needed for getting around the ___set__________. I used to have quite a long walk to the ____metro________, then a longish walk at the other end to get to ____college_________. But now I can just whiz there on my ___scooter__________. And there’s no problem parking, there’s always ___space_________ for it. You have to be _____careful________ with the cars and ___lorries__________ – they don’t always see you – and when it rains the surface of the road is _terrible____________, it gets really slippery. But in general it’s perfect for me, and I can fit a _____friend________ on the back too – I’ve got an extra _____helmet________ for a friend. It’s great. Riding along makes me feel so free.

D. This might sound a bit old-fashioned, but my sewing __machine__________ is my favourite thing. I’m studying ___fashion__________ and love making things, as well as designing them. I also love ___clothes__________ myself and often buy second-hand clothes – everyone loves the “vintage” ____look_________ at the moment – and then I adapt them to my ____size_________. It’s much easier using a machine to do that than doing it by ____my hands_________. I do alterations for my mum and my sister too. If I don’t make it as a ___designer_________, I suppose I can always set up my own alterations and customising ___business__________. Customising clothes, by taking things off and adding things on, is actually very ____creative_________, so I wouldn’t mind that.

E. My set of Japanese knives. That sounds a bit sinister, doesn’t it, but I’m not a ____murderer_______ or anything. They’re chef’s knives and the best ones come from ___Japan__________. Cooking is my new hobby. I got into it when I started watching Masterchef on TV. Then I went to an evening _____class________ for

beginners, and I haven’t looked back since. I try and have a ___dinner__________ for between four and eight__friends__________ every two or three ____weeks________. That gives me something to work towards and I

always do new __dishes___________ so they can try them out and give me feedback. It’s quite an___expensive__________ hobby if you use good ____ingredients_______, but now my friends help towards the____cost_________. They still get a good ___meal_________ for a very low price.

4- What’s your favourite thing?

Photo shoot 

5- Why is it important to you?

I was an editor before I came to Canada. I have to take many pictures every day for my job.  

6- Vocabulary Box: Write any new words you have learnt in this lesson.

addicted___affectionate__companion _lorries_helmet_creative  murderer___ingredients

July 20

Good morning everyone,

We are still trying to assess our skills and part of that is to identify your soft and hard skills.

Task 1:

Sort the following skills into two categories as soft or hard skills. Write SS for soft skills and HS for hard skills:

1. Patience                                               SS    
2. Proficiency in a foreign language           HS
3. Leadership Skills                                   SS
4. Persuasion                                           SS
5. A degree or certificate                          HS
6. Typing speed                                        HS
7. Time Management                                 SS
8. Machine operation                                HS
9. Teamwork                                            SS
10. Computer programming                        HS
11. Communication                                     SS
12. Flexibility                                              SS                                       
13. Motivation                                             SS

Task 2:

Now click on this link and decide which of these skills are soft and which are hard skills. 

Hard and Soft Skills Activity 1

Read the passage about hard and soft skills, then use the drop-down menus to fill in each gap.

When searching for a job, it is useful to be able to describe your skills. Job skills are often described in two categories: hard skills and soft skills.
Hard skills are those you learn through on-the-job or institutional training. These include skills specific to a particular occupation, such as those involved in planning and teaching for teachers, or the ability to use specialized tools for a dental technician.
Soft skills are those that can be used in any occupation. These skills are often called transferable skills because you can transfer them from one job to another. Often, these are the skills that you use and develop in everyday situations, not necessarily in relation to work. Soft skills include organizational and team work skills, as well as qualities such as initiative and attention to detail.

A hardsoft skill can be used in any job. A hardsoft skill is learned for particular jobs. Being able to work well with others is a hardsoft skill. A teacher who knows how to plan a lesson has a hardsoft skill.
Indicate whether the following are hard or soft skills:

pay attention to detail - hardsoft skill	able to use dental technician tools - hardsoft skill
write a computer program - hardsoft skill	problem-solving - hardsoft skill
do research on the Internet - hardsoft skill	repair a car - hardsoft skill
communicate effectively - hardsoft skill	install carpeting - hardsoft skill
resolving conflict - hardsoft skill	facilitate meetings - hardsoft skill
build a fence - hardsoft skill	make contributions in meetings - hardsoft skill
operate a cash register - hardsoft skill	make decisions - hardsoft skill
design a bridge - hardsoft skill	landscape a yard - hardsoft skill
maintain small talk - hardsoft skill	wait on tables in a restaurant - hardsoft skill
write an email or business letter- hardsoft skill	nurse patients in a hospital - hardsoft skill

Task 3: 

Think of two or more of your hard skills and soft skills, then write them down, and provide one example for each skill as how you have demonstrated this skill on the job.

July 18

Monday's assignment

Good afternoon everyone,

Our theme for this week is ''Know Yourself.'' Based on that, we need to know our strengths and weaknesses in order to better evaluate ourselves and set our goals.

Task 1:

Essential Skills refer to the nine skills and abilities that are essential to success in Canadian occupations. The Government of Canada has compiled detailed lists, called Essential Skills Profiles (ESPs), of how workers in hundreds of jobs use these nine skills.

Write down next to each skill which one best describes you better:  expert - good - intermediate - beginner -  no knowledge

Nine Essential Skills:

• Reading Text                   intermediate  

• Document Use                good

• Numeracy                        expert

• Writing                            beginner

• Oral Communication     expert

• Work with Others           expert

• Thinking Skills               expert

• Computer Use                expert

• Continuous Learning     good

Task 2:

Complete an Essential Skills self-assessment:

Strengths: I am confident that I can ...

Oral Communication

Thinking Skills

Computer Use

Weaknesses: I feel I struggle with …

Writing

Areas for Improvement: I would like to improve my ability to/on …

Reading Text

Continuous Learning

July 13

Today, we have talked about the “Unwritten rules of Canadian manners”. Now, you are required to write a letter to a friend back home, who he/she is planning to move to Canada soon, and give him/her some advice on how to adapt to the Canadian culture, also tell your friend some tips on the most important Canadian unwritten rules, from your perspective, to avoid embarrassment.

Ask one or two of your peers to edit for you. 

Hi Mei,

   I am very glad to hear that you will move to Canada soon. I will see you soon. You told me about you worried about how to live in Canada? What's things about manners you need know? I hope you will enjoy in Canada.I came to Canada before 1 year ago.Coming to Canada means learning the Canadian rules about manners and behaviours. I share two things with you.

    My friend JJ  told me: One day she went to City Hall. She waiting for enter, but she did not mind give the way to Sb who waiting in front of her. This woman turn back and asked her:"what's wrong?"  She couldn't understand. Do you know why this woman said that? Because J stand close to her. In Canada people must keep the person  distance.

   My classmate MM told me other thing, one time she and her husband wait for a lessens. There are so many people on line.My friend outside for coffee. Her husband still waiting on line.when MM come back after 1 hour, she stand with her husband together.A man who stand behind of her husband loudly  at them. He got very angry. He said MM could't waiting with her husband together and she must wait on the end of line.

  You will know when you have broken the rules by people's negative reations. You may find that your normal behaviour.  

 I hope to see you soon. 

Have a good day!

Ashley

  

July 7

Task 1:

Read the following adjectives for emotions and identify which words describe a positive, neutral or negative feeling. If necessary, look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary. Some words may fit into more than one category.

Word	noun	synonyms	Identify emotion
ambivalent	ambivalence	contradictory	neutral
discouraged	discouragement	dispirited	negative
overwhelmed		inundated	negative
annoyed	annoyer	irritated	negative
embarrassed	embarrassment	humiliated	negative
regretful		remorseful	negative
anxious	anxiety/anxiness	restless	negative
enthusiastic	enthusiasm	keen	positive
relieved		reassured	positive
apprehensive	apprehension	anxious	negative
frustrated	frustration	aggravated	negative
shocked	shock	stunned	negative
concerned	concern	worried	positive
furious	furiousness/fury	angry	negative
thrilled	thrill	excited	positive
content	content	satisfied	positive
grateful	gratefulness	appreciative	positive
uneasy	unease	nervous	negative
defensive	defence	protective	neutral
grieving	grievance	sorrowful	negative
vulnerable	vulnerability	susceptible	negative
determined	determination	firm	positive
miserable	miserableness/misery	wretched	negative
wary	wariness	cautious	negative
disappointed	disappointment	upset	negative
optimistic	optimism	positive	positive
upset	upset	distress	negative

The list above contains adjectives to describe emotions. Where possible, change them into nouns. Then, choose five of the emotions from the list above. For each emotion, describe a situation you have experienced that made you feel this way.

Task 3:

Listen to three short dialogues. Complete the chart to identify each situation, the relationship between speakers, and their emotional states. What helped you to identify each speaker’s emotions (e.g., tone, phrases)?

Number	Situation	Relationship between speakers	Speakers’ emotions