Do you need writing practice?

WRITING PARAGRAPHS

The first thing to consider in writing a paragraph is the structure of it.

What is a paragraph?  

How do I start?

A paragraph is:  a series of sentences about an idea.  The sentences are connected to the idea.  For example:  you may want to write something about your home town.  Think of everything you know about your home town.  Write down all your ideas.  Now, to organize your ideas put all similar ones in one paragraph....location would be a separate paragraph, history would be another paragraph, interesting places to visit another paragraph.  

So, to begin:

Here is the structure:

1.  Topic Sentence

The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.

It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.

2.  Supporting Ideas:

These come after the topic sentence, making up the body of the paragraph.

They give details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.

You should give supporting facts, details and examples.

3.  Closing Sentence:

The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph

It RESTATES (says again) the main idea of your paragraph.

Restate the main idea of the paragraph USING DIFFERENT WORDS.

For practice, here is a paragraph.  Analyze what is the topic sentence, pick out all the supporting details and underline the closing sentence.

"There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world.  First, Canada has an excellent health care system.  All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price.  Second, Canada has a high standard of education.  Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university.  Finally, Canada's cities are clean adn efficiently managed.  Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live.  As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live."

Please e-mail any questions or concerns you might have.

'going to'

What are you 'going to' do today?  It's Sunday and the weather is not the best - a little bit of snow and some rain.  We're expecting more snow.  
So, what are you 'going to' do about it?
Are you 'going to' shovel?
Are you 'going to' stay indoors?


'going to' is a phrase we use for future plans that are mostly certain


Send us an email and tell us what you're going to do during the Christmas holidays.


Check back soon for a lesson about Christmas.

Canadian Citizenship

Applying for Canadian Citizenship


1.  call the Citizenship Call Centre or check the website:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/cit-test.asp


2.  have an application mailed to you - check that you meet all the requirements! (look at the website above)


3.  make photocopies of all the documents that are required
4.  fill out the application
5.  sign the photographs
6. pay the application fees
7.  receive your booklet, A Look At Canada
8.  study study study
here is a good website to help you study some more:


http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp
(copy and paste this into your browser)


9.  get notified of where and when you will take your test
10. take the test
11. attend the citizenship ceremony
12.  YOU ARE CANADIAN!  


Welcome to the best country in the world!

Voting!

DID YOU VOTE?


The democratic process in Canada is very old and cherished.  Once you are a Canadian citizen, it is your privilege to vote and be part of the system.  
In Canada, it is an important civic duty.


To help you with the process, here are some words you might look up:


democracy
incumbent
ballot
platform




Here is a website that will tell you about voting in Canada:


http://canadacitizen.blogspot.com/2010/03/voting-procedure.html


Are there any words that you need to know?  Email us with your questions!

Registration Continues!

We are continuing our registration and enrollment - Monday October 25th!


When?  9 - 12:00 a.m.


Where?  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints


Information:  416-201-1653


BRING A FRIEND OR RELATIVE
Everyone needs English!
See you Monday!

READY FOR THE NEW SCHOOL!

B.E.S.T. will start enrolling students on WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13TH
from 9:00 - 12:00 a.m.


Where?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church) has very generously donated a room for us.


It is at:
10062 Bramalea Road (and Peter Robertson)


Everyone knows the church because of the gold figure on the top.
The classroom is located in the building to the north of the church, through the parking lot.
There will be a sign at the east entrance.


If you are driving, please park on the east side of the parking lot - closest to the hospital.


BRING A FRIEND AND RELATIVE - ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO LEARN ENGLISH!


FREE!


**We are unable to provide childminding services at this time.


This is the link for the map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=10062+Bramalea+Road,+Brampton,+Ontario,+Canada&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.820404,47.988281&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=10062+Bramalea+Rd,+Brampton,+Peel+Regional+Municipality,+Ontario,+Canada&z=15

Canada's Provinces and Territories

GET READY!
B.E.S.T. will be posting information that is needed for citizenship tests.  Of course, you need to know lots of stuff about Canada and especially geography.
Here are some questions for you to think about:
1.  Do you think Canada is a big country compared with other countries in the world?
2.  Is Canada bigger than your country of origin?
3.  About how many kilometres wide do you think Canada is, from east to west?
4.  What continent is Canada in?
5.  What continent is your country of origin in?
6.  How many provinces and territories does Canada have?  Can you name them?
7.  What is the capital of Canada?
8.  What is the capital city of the province where you are?
9.  Describe the weather in Canada.
10. Describe the weather in your country of origin.


If you would like a teacher to answer your questions, write the answers in the comment box below.  We will correct your grammar, punctuation and your answers, too!


Good luck!

CANADA!

Oh Canada!
Part of the curriculum for B.E.S.T. will include information about Canada; history, geography, law, health services, education - anything you can think of!


Why do you need this information?  Think of all the possible answers.....


What is the name of the song you sing for your country?
Our n-t--n-l -nth-m is called O Canada!
We stand when we sing these songs.
Here are the lyrics:

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

 And because we are a bilingual country, here are the French lyrics:



O Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une épopée,
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

If you don't know what any of the words in English mean, you can look them up online at:  www.thefreedictionary.com

Slang

So what is slang?  Who uses slang?
Here is a dictionary definition:
an informal nonstandard vocabulary composed typically of coinages, arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of speech
(Merriam Webster dictionary)


Now you're saying.... what does THAT mean?
Well really it means street language.  Something you hear everyday that maybe doesn't sound like 'good' English but is used all the time.


Here are some examples of slang that use colour words:


My fever got so high that I BLACKED OUT.
I'm feeling BLUE today.
You really have a GREEN thumb.
Whenever she drinks, she holds her glass her with her PINKY sticking up.
Laura TURNED BEET RED when she ripped her dress in public.
You look WHITE AS A GHOST!  What happened?
He didn't want to speak in public.  He's so YELLOW.


What do you think they mean?

BBQ and fundraising with Linda Jeffrey MPP

B.E.S.T. attended Linda Jeffrey's BBQ at Loafer's Lake Park in Brampton.
We set up a table, sold memberships, did henna, got to meet the community and spread the word!
Here are a few photos from the day.
Mrs. Jeffrey has kindly asked us to attend her New Year's Levee at the Rose Theatre.  

Don't miss out!

IDIOMS - An Introduction

What is an idiom?
So many newcomers have problems understanding English speakers and probably it's because English speakers use idioms ALL THE TIME!


Here is an example of the confusion you might be having:
"I have a lot of bread."  What does this mean?
1.  the LITERAL meaning is that I have a lot of bread (to eat and make a sandwich with)
2.  the IDIOM means:  I have a lot of money.
Confused?


Maybe you'll ask.... how do I remember all of this?


As my colleague Angelo has said so many times.... practice, practice, practice!


So, an idiom is:
1.  an expression/phrase  that is fixed - you can't develop one of your own
2.  an expression that uses languages in a 'metaphorical' way


Where can you hear idioms?
television, radio and read the newspapers!


This is the first installment of idioms work ... stay tuned for more!

A BBQ to meet the staff!

We will be at Linda Jeffrey's BBQ on September 11th!

Meet your provincial Member of Parliament.

Where?  Loafer's Lake Park at Conestoga and Sandalwood.

When?  starting at 2 p.m.

Exciting times!  Meet the staff of BEST, come for a BBQ, enjoy the last of the summer weather and get your kids' faces painted!

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Listening Practise

All learners say that they need listening practise especially with Canadian accents.
Well, here are some websites that can help:
either cut and paste them into your search bar or retype them into the bar and then click

There are many different places to go to and these will help you in your spare time when you're not studying in a classroom.
As always, you can get plenty of listening practise when you watch t.v. or the radio.
For the television, go to CBC or CTV and watch the news.  CBC has a few Canadian comedies that are excellent:  Little Mosque on the Prairie and Corner Gas.  If you watch CBC, you know that you'll get Canadian accents.

Try these and let BEST know which you think is the best!
1.  www.esl-lab.com
2.  www.ezslang.com
3.  www.archives.cbc.ca  (this is organized by subject)
4.  www.nfb.ca (this is the National Film Board of Canada) click on animation

Learn English!

To learn English there are four (4) competencies or areas that each learner needs to think about:

speaking

listening

reading 

writing

Teachers create lessons that include each of these competencies in interesting ways so that a learner stays focused.

In order to remember new vocabulary you need to use the new word 12 times in important ways.

Which do you think is the most important competency?

Do you think it is possible to change your accent?

Which do you practise the most and how?

WE ARE AN NPO!

Here we are!  We are Brampton English Services Team.
We are an NPO.  NPO stands for Not for Profit Organization.
We are located in Brampton, Ontario Canada and will soon have a location to provide free English as a Second Language classes to residents of Brampton.  
We will be in the Springdale neighbourhood.


What is an NPO?  
Your English lesson for today.... it is an acronym.
Each first letter (initial) of the word is used as a short form.
N = non
P = profit
O = organization


You may know already that LOL in the computer means:
L = laugh
O = out
L = loud


Here are some other common acronyms..... try to think of what they mean.
ESL
DIY
BTW
and my favourite:  TGIF


We hope to see everyone soon!