*Homework is on Itslearning!

Remember that you are to find homework on itslearning the next couple of weeks! This is a trial project; if you guys prefer itslearning to the blog, and if I am able to post everything I need to post on itslearning, we will leave the blog altogether!


So log on to the portal and go to itslearning :)

*Irregular verbs - spotlight on language!

Most verbs are conjugated (blir bøyd) like this:

INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE
to play                played                  have/has played

However, there are some verbs that are different. These verbs are called irregular verbs. InKey English there is a list of all the most important irregular verbs. This week you are to learn how to conjugate the next ten irregular verbs on the list: to drink - to forget (see p. 206 in Key English). Learn them by heart (you might be tested) and write ten sentences where you use each verb in either the past simple tense (preteritum) or the past participle tense (perfektum).

Ex:        John fell down the stairs yesterday.
             Lisa has eaten two candy bars today.

This is homework for Friday October 23

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*READ

I still want you to read, read, read!

You are to read in your English novel at least ten minutes a day (who knows; maybe you forget the time and read more than ten minutes...). If you are done with one book, start on another! You are to always have an English novel at hand.

This is homework all through the week!

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*read Read READ!

I want you to read, read, read! You all now know the benefits of reading, so keep at it!

You are to read in your English novel at least ten minutes a day (who knows; maybe you forget the time and read more than ten minutes...). If you are done with one book, start on another! You are to always have an English novel at hand. 

For Friday you are to write a short summary of what you have read in your book since last Friday. Write about half a page to one page in your notebook (handwritten). 

This is homework for Friday the 16th of October

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*Irregular verbs - spotlight on language!

Most verbs are conjugated (blir bøyd) like this:

INFINITIVE       PAST SIMPLE                PAST PARTICIPLE
to play                 played                              have/has played

However, there are some verbs that are different. These verbs are called irregular verbs. InKey English there is a list of all the most important irregular verbs. This week you are to learn how to conjugate the next ten irregular verbs on the list: to buy - to draw (see p. 206 in Key English). Learn them by heart (you might be tested) and write ten sentences where you use each verb in either the past simple tense (preteritum) or the past participle tense (perfektum).

Ex:         I caught the flu last week.
              I have chosen the colour pink as my favourite colour.


This is homework for Friday October 16

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*Read, draw and explain!

For next Tuesday are to make a detailed drawing of one of the scenes your have read about in your English novel. When you come to school on Tuesday you are to explain your drawing and that scene to some of your fellow classmates!


So read, make a detailed drawing (look at the picture above for inspiration) and prepare to explain the scene for your fellow classmates! Happy drawing :)


This is homework for Tuesday the 20th of October.

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*Bring a book

You all have to find an English novel to read by Friday October 9! Bring it to school :)

Check this blog post out if you need a list of recommendation!

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*Irregular verbs - spotlight on language!

Most verbs are conjugated (bøyes) like this:

INFINITIVE                 PAST SIMPLE                 PRESENT PERFECT
to play                             played                                 have/has played

However, there are some verbs that are different. These verbs are called irregular verbs. In Key English there is a list of all the most important irregular verbs. This week you are to learn how to conjugate the first ten irregular verbs on the list: to be - to build (see p. 206 in Key English). Learn them by heart (you might be tested) and write ten sentences where you use each verb in either the past simple tense or the past participle tense.

Ex:         My dog Fonzo bit my sister's hand yesterday.
               I have been to the movies two times this month.

This is homework for Friday October 9

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*Read and then talk about it!

For Tuesday October 13 you all have to have read far enough in your book to be able to tell about it to your fellow classmates. You should be able to:

• Explain what the book is about.
• Describe the main character(s) - age, gender, good/bad qualities
• Setting - where and when the plot of the book it set.

If you are nervous about talking out loud, write down what you plan to say and then rehearse. Make sure that you know how to pronounce the different words you plan use. Rehearse in front of your friends, parents, siblings, pet or the mirror! . 

This is homework for Tuesday October 13

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 41 - 46:
Tema: School + Literature
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye verb som er både regelrette og uregelrette
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.
• Å lese og prate om en selvvalgt bok på engelsk

*Find a book!

After your Fall Break we are to concentrate even more on literature and reading. By Friday October 9 you all have to have found an English novel. Make sure that the language is at your level (not too hard, not too easy) and choose a genre that appeals to you.

Why all this reading you may ask? I'll tell you why! The benefits of reading are many, and here are some of the most important ones:

• You expand your vocabulary. The more you read, the more words you will learn, and eventually these words will become a part of your vocabulary.
• You will improve your grammar and writing skills. The more you read, the better your grammar skills will be, because you automatically understand how a verb should be conjugated or how a word should be spelled. You also learn different ways to express yourself. This will benefit both your oral and written English. 
• You will get more knowledge. Knowledge is power, and knowledge can never be taken away from you. 
• Reading reduces stress. In a stressful world we sometimes need a time-out. Reading is the perfect time-out, because when you are caught up in a great story your muscles relax and tension fades away. 
• Reading improves you concentration and focus skills. In our Internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions. When you are reading a book you cannot multi-task, you have concentrate and focus only on the story. 

If you unsure of what to read - here is a list of my recommendations!

*Smart Ice Cream - spotlight on reading

This week's longer text is a short story called "Smart Ice Cream". It is written by Paul Jennings - the same guy who wrote "Pink Bow Tie". Click HERE to find it (you will also get it in class). Hopefully you will like it - happy reading!

Homework is:

1. Read the short story
2. Pick ten difficult words and/or phrases from the text, put them down in your notebook and translate them into Norwegian - NB: the phrase "smart alec" is especially important that you understand!
3. Then write one paragraph where you answer this question:

Why do you believe the narrator (fortelleren) starts to write funny in the last paragraph of the story? (Remember that a paragraph should be a minimum of five sentences). Feel free to give examples from the text. You may start your paragraph like this:

I believe that the narrator of "Smart Ice Cream" starts to write funny because...

OR

In my opinion, the narrator of "Smart Ice Cream" starts to write funny because...

OR

I think that the narrator of "Smart Ice Cream" starts to write funny because...

This is homework for Friday the 25th of September

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 36 - 39:
Tema: School
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye substanstiv som er både regelrette og uregelrette i entall og flertall. 
• Å kunne bruke ordene there/their/they're riktig.
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.

*Saving Ms Fosdyke - spotlight on reading

In this week's "Spotlight on reading" I would like to introduce you to Morriz Gleitzman. He has written many books for children and young adults, and his short stories are brilliant! One of my favorites is this one:

Saving Ms Fosdyke (click here to find the text - you will also get it in class)

When you read it you might understand why I (being a teacher) am particularly fond this story ;)

Read the short story, pick ten words you find difficult and translate them into Norwegian, then write a short summary of what this story is about (1/2 - 1 page in your notebook). 

This is homework for Friday the 18th of September




Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 36 - 39:
Tema: School
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye substanstiv som er både regelrette og uregelrette i entall og flertall. 
• Å kunne bruke ordene there/their/they're riktig.
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.

*They're, their, there - spotlight on language

Some words in the English language sound the same when you say them out loud, but the spelling is not the same. A threesome I know many of you students find it hard to tell apart is "they're, their, there". But fear no more! You are about to get it right! Just follow the steps below:

1. Read this text
2. Practice here
3. Write ten sentences in your notebook where you use the three words correctly.

This is homework for Tuesday the 22nd of September




Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 36 - 39:
Tema: School
Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye substanstiv som er både regelrette og uregelrette i entall og flertall. 
• Å kunne bruke ordene there/their/they're riktig.
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.

*School Uniforms

In many countries school uniforms are mandatory. I want to know your opinions about the subject. Read this article (you will also get it in class). Study both sides of the argument. Write down  three arguments that support the idea of having a school uniform and three arguments that do not support the idea of having a school uniform. Then write down your opinion where you state whether you are for or against school uniforms and why. Do all this in your notebook!

This is homework for Friday the 11th of September


Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 36 - 39:

Tema: School

Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye substanstiv som er både regelrette og uregelrette i entall og flertall. 
• Å kunne bruke ordene there/their/they're riktig.
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.

*The Great Mouse Plot - spotlight on reading

This week's longer text is an excerpt (utdrag) from Roald Dahl's book Boy - Tales of Childhood. Roald Dahl based this book on his own childhood, but as he says himself: "An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details. This is not an autobiography." He spiced up the stories from his own life by adding ingredients such as a good plot, good characters and bad characters, drama, comedy, suspense, a cunning plan etc. 

Read the excerpt called "The Great Mouse Plot" here (you will also get it in class). Write down ten words you find difficult and translate them in to Norwegian in your notebook. 

Then write one paragraph (remember the minimum of five sentences) where you explain whether you liked the excerpt or not. Give examples from the text. Try to comment on Roald Dahl's writing style. Start your paragraph like this:

I really liked "The Great Mouse Plot" because....

OR

I did not like "The Great Mouse Plot" because...

This is homework for Friday the 11th of September.



Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 36 - 39:

Tema: School

Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye substanstiv som er både regelrette og uregelrette i entall og flertall. 
• Å kunne bruke ordene there/their/they're riktig.
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.

*Irregular nouns - spotlight on language

Not every noun (substantiv) is changed from the singular to the plural just by adding an -s, -es or -ies. Some nouns are different and are called irregular nouns.

  

Check out the video and read about irregular nouns in Key English at page 188. Write down the irregular nouns you have to memorize and learn them by heart!

This is homework for Tuesday the 15th of September

Tema og læringsmål for perioden uke 36 - 39:

Tema: School

Læringsmål:

• Å kunne forstå, bruke og utvide et ordforråd knyttet til temaet "School"
• Å kunne lese og forstå både saklige og litterære tekster som omhandler temaet "School".
• Å kunne si og begrunne egne meninger.
• Å kunne bøye substanstiv som er både regelrette og uregelrette i entall og flertall. 
• Å kunne bruke ordene there/their/they're riktig.
• Å vite hva et "essay" er og hvordan det bygges opp.

*Pink Bow Tie - spotlight on reading

The best way to expand your vocabulary (meaning to learn new words), learn grammar and the build-up of sentences is through reading. I can not emphasize this enough:

IF YOU WANT TO BECOME GOOD IN ENGLISH YOU HAVE TO READ! A LOT!

You guys are to read one longer fictional text a week. The longer text this week is a short story called "Pink Bow Tie" by Paul Jennings. It is quite funny, I hope you will enjoy it! Read the story here!

Homework for Friday September the 4th:
Read the short story. Then pick ten words you did not understand - write them down and translate them into Norwegian. 

*School - Focus Words

Up until your Fall break we will work with the topic "School". When you talk about school there are some words you have to know - FOCUS WORDS:

• Primary school
• Secondary School
• Upper Secondary School
• Subjects
• Natural science
• Mathematics
• P. E. (Physical Education)
• Home economics 
• Social studies
• Arts and craft
• Pupil council
• Recess
• Principal/headmaster
• Lesson
• Library
• Grade
• Remark

Homework for Friday September the 4th:

Translate all the words above into Norwegian. Then write a text where you use as many of the words as possible. Write at least half a page! 

*My Favorite Things - Spotlight on language

In the musical "Sound of Music" the actress Julie Andrews sings about her favorite things. Read the lyrics in Key English at p. 13. Check out the scene from the movie here.

HOMEWORK for Tuesday September the 8th: 
- Read about Regular Nouns (substantiv) at page 187 in Key English. Do task 5 at page 13 in Key English. BRING KEY ENGLISH TO CLASS.

*Get your learn on!

Kid President is one of my favorite kids out there on the World Wide Web. Why? Because he is brilliant; a wise boy with a big heart who wants everyone to be included. As he says: "We are all on the same team!"

The video-clip above is a pep talk he has made for both teachers and students. According to him "everyone is a teacher and everyone is a student". Life is a school and we learn all the time. Someone is actually learning from you as well!

HOMEWORK:
1. Find out what a pep talk is - describe it in your notebook using your own words.
2. See the video-clip above.
3. Answer this question: What are you teaching the world? (Think of some of your best qualities, for instance: if you are positive you will teach the people around you to be positive. If you find it hard to come up with a quality on your own; ask a parent, a sibling or a friend - they will tell which qualities they appreciate in you!) Write a paragraph (minimum 5 sentences).

This is my text:

I am teaching people to have faith in themselves. I often meet brilliant young students (and all students are brilliant one way or the other) who are afraid to speak up, afraid to get noticed or afraid to fail. I am teaching them that their voices should be heard. I am teaching them that they matter. I am teaching them that failing is important in order to learn. I may not always succeed, but I will never stop trying.

This is homework for Tuesday the 1st of September

*Getting to know each other!

On Friday you guys are to interview a fellow student (I will choose who). The goal is to learn more about that person and to let the rest of the class know. When you are done interviewing you are to write a short text about this person on a small poster. All these posters will be hung up in your classrooms!

Homework:

1. Think of five questions you can use in your interview (keep in mind that you will be interviewing a person you do not know very well) and write them down in your notebook. 

2. Bring a picture of yourself to class.

This is homework for Friday the 28th of August (not Thursday as I said in class - you do not have English on Thursdays)

*Why should you learn English?

As an English teacher I can list a ton reasons for why learning English is important. But I would like to hear your opinions! Why do YOU believe English is an important language to learn? Write your answer in a comment below. Remember to include name and class. You may start your comment like this:

I believe that learning English is important because....

OR

In my opinion English is important to learn because...

OR

I think that learning English is important because...

I´m looking forward to read your answers!

NB: You will not see your comment right away because I have to approve it. So some hours may go by before it is out there on the World Wide Web :)

This is homework for Friday the 28th of August (not Thursday as I said in class - you do not have English on Thursdays)

*WELCOME

Hello 8CD, welcome to FAB ENGLISH!

We will be using this blog instead of the book Key English - but if you ever need to bring Key English to class I will let you know here. I will be posting three obligatory posts every Tuesday. The posts you HAVE to read will be marked with a *star. Your homework for the week will be in these posts. Make sure that you stop by often, I may post other fun stuff as well!




I am looking forward to get to know you all!



Best regards, Pia