Last week...

Dear students,

It might seem like LC1 is endless but the good news is that you have learned a significant amount of new information since the start of Grade 11 and you have succeeded in reaching this far. How impressive, you have been introduced to Reading, Listening and now Writing in IELTS.
I think it is a fabulous accomplishment!
Good job to you all for hanging on this far....but do not let go just yet, the last week is underway and we need to be strong and gain some energy to complete the first cycle and manage to revise and write your LC1 exams. Be organised, set your goals and priorities straight and make it happen for yourself because as time flies this year, there are more interesting facts and skills to find out about. You need to fully grasp what you learn today in order to take it with you from cycle to cycle.
Set a meeting with your teacher if you need detailed information about a specific challenge you are facing in English. Perhaps she can help you by providing you more practice and material related tasks.
Do not hesitate to ask, teachers are available to help you.
For the time being, make a list of the points you covered in Reading such as Short Answer Questions, Classification and True /False/ Not Given.

Best of luck for this week!

Best regards,

Ms. Sonja

Shhhhhh! L I S T E N! Can you hear that?

LISTENING is the first part of the IELTS exam. It lasts 30 minutes. It consists of 4 sections in order of increasing difficulty. Each section might be a dialogue or monologue. The audio is played once ONLY. The introduction sentence helps the listener get the GIST of things and predict where is it taking place, who are the people, what vocabulary will be used, what will happen during the conversation.

Use your imagination by thinking of the scenario you are listening to, just like when a friend is telling you about the lastest movie he saw, or a story about something that happened over the weekend. We all have the gift of imagination, and therefore, it being useful in LISTENING as a skill, can help you guess more about the type of conversation the speakers in the audio will have.

It is important to focus during a LISTENING test and it is normal to get easily distracted however, LISTENING is a skill that can be mastered just like a language, a sport or learning to play an instrument. LISTENING needs practice and the application of skills you learned.

Is spelling important in the LISTENING part of the exam? Absolutely, spelling, in fact, is looked at very carefully. Some difficult words such as surnames, street names, roads, proper names are spelled out for the listener during the conversation. Beware of letter that may sound the same like P and B, M and N, D and T, can you think of more?

Numbers are also common in the LISTENING so make sure to revise them.

Now stop and listen.......you might hear something!

Best regards,

Ms. Sonja

It's Project Time!

Hello Gentlemen,

We'll focus on your LC1 project this week. Please view the project overview presentation below and get ready for a great week full of activities that are all about YOU!

G11 LC1 Project on Prezi

Let's have a great project week!

Ms. Rehab Rajab

IELTS Speaking Overview

Hello gentlemen,

This IELTS Speaking exam overview was created by a Prezi user, Mark Moran. It contains useful information on the different parts of the IELTS speaking and strategies to prepare for them. Hope you'll find it useful.

IELTS Speaking - Test Overview on Prezi

Have a nice weekend.

Ms. Rajab

LC1 EXAMS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

Hello Gentleman,

Once again, it's that time of year and your LC1 exams are coming soon. Having already gone through the tenth grade, all of you know what to expect. In turn, we expect much from you and your teachers all know you can do well. Begin studying at home from now, and don't wait until the day before the exam. Be sure to come to school well rested, ask your teachers for extra study material if you need it, and most of all... best of luck! Click here for your exam schedule.

Week 6-MID CYCLE QUIZ .... What Should I Revise?

Dear Students,

It is with great enthusiasm that I share this with you:



YOU HAVE ALREADY REACHED MID-CYCLE!!!

Do you know what this means? This means you have achieved alot so far and you are on the right track! Great job to you all!



At the same time, I would like to remind you of the upcoming MID-CYCLE QUIZ this week. 'What should I revise, Teacher?' Answer: 'EVERYTHING, you have learned so far with your teachers and classmates. More specifically, all the skills such as SKIM - SCAN, searching for KEYWORDS, PREDICTING CONTENT, PARAPHRASING and most importantly, understanding the overall idea of a text while reading quickly.'



As per the COURSE BOOK, review and read pages 8-9-10-11-12. In addition, you may review any audio or videos on the types of questions that you may have received from your teacher. Listening or watching an audio is also an excellent way of learning. Try to solve the tasks in your WORKBOOK, surely, you will have to review the answers yourself.



If you have any questions regarding the types of questions or if you need extra material to practice before the quiz, please see your teacher asap.



So please ask questions or meet with your instructor for further clarification regarding the material seen so far. We want to se you all succeed and master English.



Wishing you the best of luck!



"If you try, you might.

If you don't, you won't".

by RS



Regards,

Ms. Sonja

Get Writing!

Have you ever heard of OWL? It's Purdue University's Online Writing Lab. The link I have provided below will take you to a world of writing exercises, where you can hone your grammar, sharpen your spelling, and practice your punctuation.

OWL Practice Exercises.

I wouldn't recommend going straight to the paraphrasing exercises, becuse they are really tough. Instead, ease yourself in with some grammar!

Mid Cycle Quiz-Week 5....get ready for the QUIZ!

Dear students,

I hope that things have been running smoothly for you now that you have almost reached the half of the cycle.
Good job!
Just a gentle reminder that next week is indeed WEEK 5 and the Mid-Cycle Quiz will be ready for you. Therefore, make sure to take full responsibility in starting a revision plan in case you might have doubts about a certain skill or type of IELTS questions we have seen. Take a glimpse at the book too, and the workbook as well.
Be prepared, get organised, review accordingly and visit your teacher if you have nay questions.
Good luck, and start this weekend, don't leave it all to the last minute. Plan ahead and revise wisely for your English Mid-Cycle Quiz.

All the best,

Ms. Sonja

LC1 Project

Dear students,

Besides the book and online activities planned this week, be ready for the LC1 Project. Some of you have probably already written up your CV for a summer job or an intership. That is great, so you can help your teacher work with others in creating a Curriculum Vitae. Soon enough, you will have graduated and moved on. It will soon be time to look for a job in your field. You will look for a job which matches your needs and expectations. Therefore, you need a CV to sell yourself and your qualifications at a job interview.
Once they call you for an interview, you need to be prepared to answer questions. We will help you in gaining confidence by answering the questions and giving the correct answers to the related position. Next, there are many tips to be given and I am positive you will love to know about them. Finally, you will be introduced to the different ways of preparing yourself for the work place. Interesting enough, there are so many factors to cover. I cannot wait to show you the Do's and Don'ts about the process of getting a job. What should you say? What can you ask? What to wear at an interview? When do you give a follow-up call? Do you ask about the salary? Do you ask about he summer holidays? So many things will be covered.
I hope you will enjoy this chapter of the cycle.

Let's get to work now!!!

Best regards,

Ms. Sonja

Classification

Dear students,

Now that you have almost mastered the art of SKIM and SCAN, and since you have been introduced to SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS, it is time for us to move on. It is time to be introduced to CLASSIFICATION.
CLASSIFICATION is a list of categories and a number statements. You need to match the statements to the correct categories.
A few tools needed along this type of question are Skimming and Scanning and PARAPHRASING (said PA-RA-FRA-SING).
Paraphrased statements have the SAME MEANING but DIFFERENT words i.e. 25% is the same as a quarter.
Hopefully, you will find this type of question an interesting one. It may get a little confusing because so many statements are similar in meaning, however, with a little practice and the correct technique, you will master the skill and get it right. Practice, practice, practice! Keywords, keywords, keywords!
In addition to this weeks' CLASSIFICATION, please be reminded that you will have a weekly Drop Quiz. Take notes in your book or notepad, ask questions, review the material at home and be sure to complete your homework.
Remember that your favorite football player didn't make it where he is today just by going to his local sporting club to practice once a week. Remember that your favorire player practiced everyday, made mistakes only to learn from them, fell down many times in front of his coach but got himself back up and moved on. He mastered the game and is now a successful player. You can do the same with the correct method. Stay focused on a goal!

Wishing you all the best.

Ms. Sonja