Views of China from Casa Kaulins #40

Views of China from Casa Kaulins #37

HyLite English School Mid-Autumn Festival Commercial

ESL Discussion Questions about Korea

What is it?

What images come to mind when you think of Korea?

I see beautiful woman dancing Gangnam Style.

I see men passing women and saying "Hey! Sexy Lady!"

Where is it?

What do you know about it?

What do you know about its history?

Is Korea located on an island?

What countries does Korea border on? China and Russia

What is the DMZ?

What are its capitals?

What is its population? 74 million. 24 million in the North. 50 million in the South.

Famous Koreans?

What are Koreans famous for?

Why do many Chinese like Korean dramas?

What is so appealing about K-POP?

Have you meet any Koreans?

Do you want to meet a Korean? Do you want to meet a North Korean? Is there a famous Korean you want to meet?

Who is your favourite Korean?

If you meet someone from North Korea what would you ask them?

Do you think the North Koreans really love their leaders?

What stereotypes do you have of the Korean people?

What are the differences between Koreans and Chinese?

What are the similarities between Koreans and Chinese?

What are Koreans good at?

Have you eaten Korean food?

Can you understand the Korean language?

Can you recognize the Korean language?

Do you prefer North or South Korea? Why?

What is the future of Korea? Will it be good? Will there be a war? Will there ever be a reunification?

Is there a solution to the problem of Korean unification? Will it happen? If it does happen, can it happen peaceably?

What isn't Korea united?

Have you been to Korea?

Can you spot Koreans in Wuxi?

Are there many Koreans in Wuxi?

What are the differences between Koreans and Japanese?

Are the Koreans and Chinese rivals or allies?

English Names That The Students Have Given Themselves

My list of English names the students have given themselves has become an annual feature here at Teaching English in Wuxi, China.

Below is my 2013 list. It comprises 188 names.

Agnes

Alice

Alicia

Alvin

Amanda

Angel

Anita

Anna

Annabella

Anne

Anthony

Antia

Apple

April

Ares

Arthur

Axel

Bear

Betty

Billy

Black

Bob

Bonny

Brandon

Bruce [There is a Lee Glover below.]

Bunny

Cam

Camille

Candies

Candy

Carina

Chanley

Charles

Cheney

Cherry

Cheryl

Cici

Circle

Claire

CoCo

Cool

Corina

Cristal

Crystal

Cynthia [I put on a upper class accent for Sinntheeeeaaaaaa!]

Daisy

David

Davin

Della

Diana

Dick

Donald

Doreen

Dream

Dwight

Edda [Edda is a girl.]

Elaine [I never fail to remind this girl of the closing scene from the movie the Graduate.]

Elena

Elisha

Elly

Emidem [perhaps named after a famous video game character]

Emily

Ethan

Eudora

Ezio

Ezreal

Fancy

Fay

Felix

Frank

Franklin

Gianni [pronounced like Johnny]

Giles

Gillian

Grace

Happy

Harry

Heffy

Hellen

Heney

Henry

Hetty

Hope

Howard

HTO

Ice

Iris

Ivan

Jacy

Jams

Jane

Jason

Jeffrey

Jenny

Jerant

Jeremy

Jess

Jessie

Jewel

Jill

Jim

Jimmy

Johnson

Jolin

Joyce

Judy

Kevin

Kimiko

Kina

Kirk

Kitty

Kobe

Larry

Lee Glover

Leo

Levi

Lindy

Lokson

Lorna

Lotus

Louise

Lucy

Luma

Lywic

Madee

Maggie

Mars

Mercy

Meter

Miko

Miky

Mindy [I am Mork from Ork I tell her. She doesn't get it.]

Molly

Momsen

Moon

Nancy

Neil

Neil Trump

Nervo

Nick

Nina

Noria

Ondine

Paul

Penny

Qneenie

Queena

Rachel

Ray

Rebecca

Richard

Richelle

Ritz

Robin

Roy

Rudolf

Sam

Selina

Senior

Serena

Shay

Sherry

Shirley

Sky

Stanley

Stella [This Stella was not impressed by my Streetcar Named Desire routine.]

Stephanie

Sun

Sunny

Teemo

Terry

Thea

Tiffany

Tina

Tiny

Tommy

Tony

Tracy

Trillian

Trista

Vicky

Victor

View

Vivian

Wendy

Yolanda

You

Yuki

Zoe

A Teaching Opportunity in Shanghai

Wonderful English in the West of Shanghai is looking for teachers!

Wonderful English requires two English teachers at their schools in the Song Jiang and Qing Pu Districts of Shanghai.

You must have a degree, a TEFL certificate or equivalent, and a passport from a native English speaking country.

Your students will be aged from five years old to adult.

Your workweek with comprise three weekday shifts (14:00 to 21:00) and two weekend shifts (10:00 to 18:00). You will have 25 teaching hours per week.

Your salary will be 12k to 13k depending on experience with a 4000 rmb bonus at the end of the contract.

Wonderful English will supply you your Visa and Foreign Expert Certificate.

If you are interested and would like more details, email me at andiskaulins@qq.com.

ESL Discussion Questions about Energy

What is Energy? The capacity for vigorous activity; available power. Having the power to do something.

Do you have a lot of it? Do you have a lot of it now? Why? Why not?

Kinds of energy? Mental, physical, solar, food, fossil fuel, electric, nuclear, solar, wind.....

Is energy important?

What human needs does energy satisfy?

What does it mean to run out of energy?

For people? For cars?

What is man's biggest source of energy?

What did primitive man do for energy?

Have you ever gone a long time without energy?

What are other sources of energy?

How do bodies get energy?

Do you drink energy drinks?

What foods give us energy?

What do you do when you need energy right away?

We say a person is energetic. What do we mean by this?

Are you energetic? What do you do when you are energetic? How are your emotions?

What are signs that a person is energetic or isn't energetic?

Do you like energetic people? Or perhaps you resent them?

Who are the most energetic people you know?

When do you feel the most energetic? During the week? During the day? In the Heat? In the Cold?

How do cars get energy?

How does a phone get energy?

Your energy usage:

Do you use too much energy?

How do you use your electricity?

What saps you of energy? What tires you out? What activities are very tiring? What activities require no energy?

Efficient energy usage. What do you think this term means?

How can we save energy?

Expressions involving energy:

I don't have the energy.

This gives me all the energy I need.

Where do you get the energy?

I am full of energy. (How do you feel? How are you functioning?)

He is a bundle of energy.

He is suddenly re-energized. (Do you notice how boredom saps you of energy, but then....)

I don't feel up to it.

He has a lot of get up and go.

He's jacked up.

I'm out of gas.

I am running on empty.

Green energy.

I am feeling lethargic and sluggish.

It is a waste of energy.

ESL Discussion Questions about Family

How important is family to you?

Very important?

Couldn't care less?

Finish these sentences:

______________ is more important than family.

Family is more important than ______________.

Who is the richest person in your family?

Who is the scariest person in your family?

Who is the oldest person in your family?

Who is the craziest person in your family?

Who is the most interesting person in your family?

Who is the head of your family?

Do you like your family?

Is your family better than all other families you know?

How big is your family?

How big were your parents families?

Do you wish you could have had more siblings than you do now?

What do you think is the ideal size for a family?

What do you think of people who have lots of children? (my cousin has nine!)

What famous person do you wish was your brother?

What famous person do you wish was your sister?

What would you think of David Beckham being your father? Angela Jolie being your mother?

Students! Do you think you will make a good parent in the future? Why? Why not?

Do you have what it takes to be a good parent?

Who has the best family in the world?

What are some interesting television or fictional families that you know of?

What is the best thing about your family? Your parents? Your uncles and aunts?

How often do all you relatives get together?

I have relatives in Canada, America, China, and Germany? What about you?

Can you tell me some interesting stories about your relatives?

Who has the most unusual job in your family? For example, my sister is a jail guard.

Which side of the family do you prefer? The mother's or the father's side? My father's side lived in America. They were boring. They didn't have a television. My mother's side seen to have more interesting people in it. They lived in Canada.

What activities can families do together? Can they be a basketball team? Can they play Mah Jong? Shopping? Eating? Watch television?

Does your family do much together or do you just live under the same roof?

Idioms and expressions

black sheep of the family (Who?)

like one of the family

runs in the family (What runs in the student's family?)

a family man (Do you want to be? Are you?)

the company is like a family (Is you class like a family?)

the family that bathes together, stays together.

Views of China from Casa Kaulins #4

Andis Kaulins

Zachary

Eleven

Cissy & Jessica

Words that begin with the letters "Ex"

Ex Words

What does the prefix Ex mean?

ex-

a prefix meaning "out of," "from," and hence "utterly," "thoroughly," 

Also: "Former" Ex-wife, Ex-president

Can the students think of a word beginning with 'ex' that means out of or out from? Exit.

Can the students think of words beginning with 'ex' that mean utterly or thoroughly? Extreme.

Can the students think of ex (as in former things) in their lives?

I have an ex-____________ I am an ex___________.

What does he is my 'ex' mean?

Are you a ex or former something? I am the former mayor of Wuxi.

Very Simple. Get the students to list ten or fifteen words that start with Ex.

Here are some words that I can think of: Excellent, Exit, Exceptional, Extreme, Exhume, Exhaust, Exhilarate, Exhibition, Exotic, Example, Exalt, Excuse, Exam.

Talk about the words and see where the conversations lead....

What is the most commonly used word beginning with 'ex' in the English language? Example.

Four letter words starting with 'Ex'? Exit

Five letter words? Exalt, Exist

Six letter words? Exhume, Excite, expand

Seven letter words? Extreme, Excited

Eight letter words? Existent Exciting

Nine letter words? Excellent, Existence

Expressions using 'ex' words.

I will now do an exit stage left.

I hope I have expanded your horizons.

“Wow!” and other exclamations and interjections.

What is an interjection?

An interjection is a word that we add into our speech. Examples Ah! Um! Eh!

What are some Chinese interjections? Do they vary by region of China?

Are there female Chinese interjections? Are there male Chinese interjections?

What is an exclamation?

An Exclamation is a sentence with an exclamation point behind it!

What is something you are exclaiming every day?

So not all exclamations are interjections.

Let's talk about Wow!

When would we say "wow?"

Did you say "wow" today? When? Why?

When was the last time you said "wow"?

What makes a woman say "wow"?

What makes a man say "wow"?

What makes a child go "wow"?

Who do you try to "wow"?

What is the difference between "wow" and "woh"?

Examples of Interjections. (What do they mean? When do we use them? Use them in a statement?)

ah, alas, oh dear, dear me, goodness gracious, jeepers, eh, er, hello, hey, hi, hmm, oh, ouch, uh,uh-huh, um, umm, well, bingo, ahem, aha, ahoy, aw schucks, boo, boo hoo, boy, oh boy, bravo, cheers, chop-chop, ditto, eureka, ow, yoo hoo, yeah, yallo, blah blah blah, attaboy, attagirl, alright, bada boom, bada bing, b.s., by God, cheerio, come on, damn, damn straight, duh, gadzooks, golly, golly gee, gosh, holy moley, holy cow, hell's bells, I say, indeed, kersplat, la-di-da, lord love a duck, mm, nice one, no pooh, oh-oh, nice one, okey dokey, pew, rats, say what, thank god, toodeloo, uh-oh

Interjections we use to make people keep quiet?

Interjections we use when we come upon a disgusting thing?

Interjections to show we want to leave?

Interjections we use when we hear bad news?

Interjections we use when we hear good news?

Interjections we use when our team has scored or won the game?

Interjections we use when we express disbelief?

Interjections we use when we want people to leave?

Interjection we use when we have stepped on something sharp?

Interjections we use when we want someone to hurry?

Interjections we use when we are joking?

Interjections we use when we are expressing sarcasm or irony?

If time remaining, ask what will make students say a certain interjection beside wow.

End class with "toodeloo."