The 2008 US Elections

Dear students,

Here are a few links to understand a bit better these American elections and the results.

If you come across an interesting/insightful/funny article or video or audio report, email them to me and it will be shared with the rest of students.

BBC

The US Elections 2008

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/indepth/us08.shtml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/


Election results

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7697829.stm

The Battleground Map

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7456953.stm

If the world could vote

http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/gallup/

Newsweek

Abortion, The Silent Issue

http://www.newsweek.com/id/167211

Pro-Life Catholics For Obama

http://www.newsweek.com/id/163896

The World Hopes For Its Firts President

http://www.newsweek.com/id/166910

Who is Michelle?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/112849

What Michelle Can Teach Us

http://www.newsweek.com/id/166857

PBS

Election Map and Results

http://www.pbs.org/vote2008/?campaign=election_module_news_header#mapspot

Biographies/Debates/Interviews : Obama / McCain

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/

Obama:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/obama/

Obama's biography (video):

http://www.pbs.org/vote2008/video/2008/11/preview_barack_obama.html

McCain:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/mccain/

Message for the Tuesday group

Dear students (the Tuesday group),

As agreed this morning: we will catch up the Nov 11 class:. for the next three sessions, starting from November 18, we will have class from 8 am to 10 am instead of 8 am to 9:30 am.

Regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

For Thursday (Nov 06)

Message for the Thursday group

For Thursday (Nov 06):

1/ Work on the audio report from PBS on Stonehenge: prepare 10 questions and their answers and highlight the main ideas:

http://www.archaeologynews.org/link.asp?ID=162619&Title=Archaeologists%20Find%20Workers%27%20Village%20Near%20Stonehenge

2/ Phrasal Verbs: page 3 and 4

3/ We will have a class discussion on the reports on Sicko and Stonehenge

Reminder: Here is the link to retrieve the handouts previously distributed (sometimes, this link does not work for reasons I have not been able to understand, try from another computer (if you can) or email me and I will send the documents.

http://www.neufgiga.com/index.php?m=c9ae77e8&a=dc18f91e&share=LNK404748ff8c6a6d460

Scheduled Quizzes

- Nov 13: Idioms (ARM/LEG/HORSE/FOOT/HEAD)
- Nov 20: Vocabulary quizz + phrasal verbs

Regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

New enrolling students from November 10 onwards

Dear students,

As confirmed by the administration (my supervisor) yesterday, I will no more accept new students from November 10 onwards.

Should there still be new students on or after that date, they are required to ask the head of their department a special written request, and explain and justify why they have missed class from September 29.

New students will be given additional work and they will have to catch-up all the work done so far.

Regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Homework for October 28 & 30 (Tuesday and Thursday groups)

Homework for next week (Tuesday, October 28 and Thursday, October 30)

1/ In case you need to watch the videos again on idiomatic expressions from the BBC, here is the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/the_teacher/index.shtml

2/ Prepare the report on Sicko by Moore from PBS

• listen to this audio report several times
• highlight the main ideas
• check the transcript from PBS
• start learning the vocabulary & the idiomatic expressions
  
• prepare several questions and their answers (around 10 questions ): we will use them for class discussions in small groups
• I will collect a sample of homework on a random basis and they will be graded. Those who will not bring it or who will not do it will get a zero . Ditto for those who will be absent for unjustified reasons.
• find the right answer on page 1&2 (the phrasal verbs) and start learning them, here is the link if did no get the handouts:
  

http://www.neufgiga.com/index.php?m=c9ae77e8&a=dc18f91e&share=LNK404748ff8c6a6d460

3/ Thursday group only:

• everything mentioned above on Sicko & the phrasal verbs (page 1&2)
  
• write a short summary on Einstein (around 150 words +/- 10%). I will collect them. Skip a line when you write it or if it is typed, use double spacing and font 12. There should be no deadly mistakes (capitalization rules, basic grammar mistakes, no contracted forms, no plagiarism).

You can retrieve this audio report and its transcript from this link from PBS, there is a video as well (try to watch it):

Sicko by Moore (PBS)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june07/sicko_06-29.html

In case you cannot listen to/download this audio report, you can email me, I will send it to you by email.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

For October 21 & 23

Homework for next week (Tuesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 23)

Prepare the reports on Darwin & on Einstein

• listen to these audio reports several times
• highlight the main ideas
• check the transcripts from PBS
• start learning the vocabulary & the idiomatic expressions
  
• prepare several questions and their answers (around 10 questions on each report): we will use them for class discussions in small groups
• Tuesday group only: write a short summary on Darwin (around 150 words +/- 10%). I will collect them. Skip a line when you write it or if it is typed, use double spacing. There should be no deadly mistakes (capitalization rules, basic grammar mistakes, no contracted forms, no plagiarism).
  

You can retrieve these audio reports and their transcripts from these links from PBS, there is a video as well (try to watch them):

DARWIN
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june06/darwin_3-01.html

EINSTEIN
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june07/einstein_04-26.html

In case you cannot listen to/download these audio reports, you can email me, I will send you these audio reports by email.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Homework for next week (Tuesday, October 14)

Online dictionaries and useful sites :

- BBC

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/default.stm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/

- PBS (USA)

• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/

- ABC ( Australia)

• http://www.abc.net.au/

- Lexilogos

• http://www.lexilogos.com/anglais_langue_dictionnaires.htm

  -Wordreference

http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/

Homework for next week (Tuesday, October 14)

Prepare the report on Darwin

• listen to the audio report several times
• highlight the main ideas
• check the transcript from PBS
• learn the vocabulary

You can retrieve the audio report and the transcript from this link from PBS, there is a video as well:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june06/darwin_3-01.html

In case you cannot listen to the audio report, you can email me, I will send you the audio report.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)