Monday, December 30, 2013

All Work and no play makes Rachael Alice a dull Girl!

Now you can see that I have many talents!  Not only teaching English, but Music as well.
Enjoy this Improv Mandolin piece that just came to my hands, and was captured on video camera!

Rachael Alice
http://rachaelorbach.weebly.com/ 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Parts of the body in Hebrew and English

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This is a worksheet that I am working on for one of my students.
If you can use it all the better!

        חלקי הגוף Body Parts
ראש
Head
יד
Hand
רגל
Leg
כף רגל
Foot
פנים
Face
עין
Eye
פה
Mouth
חזה
Chest
מרפק
Elbow
זרוע
Arm
כתף
Shoulder
מותניים
Waist
ברך
Knee
ירך
Thigh
צוואר
Neck
גב
Back
אוזן
Ear
שער
Hair

Monday, December 9, 2013

Bagrut Writing Assignment 4 or 5 points

I use this for Bagrut preparation for the Bagrut Writing Sections

Name_____________________________________  Date______________________

Essay in Class Assignment: Write your Ideal Day

YOUR ACTION PLAN FOR IDEAL DAY GENERATION:               Give it Life!

Starting from the exact time that you wake up, write out your entire ideal day.  Describe

everything.  Your home.  Your family. Your health.  Your cars.  Your vacations.  Write out

your perfect routine.  Fill it with details and   MAKE IT VIVID. Pick a school day or a non-school day.

This should really excite you because you are taking the first step toward creating your

ideal future.  You create the person you want to be, where you want to live, who you want

to be surrounded by, and even how you want to make your money.

By writing your Ideal Day down, you give it life.  You give it tremendous momentum to

move in your direction.

And remember to NEVER limit your ideas.  Write 80 – 100 words  Use modals and semimodals.


____________________________________________________________________________

Monday, December 2, 2013

HOTS Uncovering Motives Lesson Plan

Rachael Orbach –  One and Twenty by A. E. Housman

Explicit HOT - Uncovering motives

Uncovering

motives

identify motives that explain the character’s behavior and support this with evidence from the text.

Why do you think that wise man gave the advise? Support your answer.

What made the young man change his mind?  Give supporting details.

Deductive Methodology #1

Stage 1 Introduction of HOTS Uncovering Motives.

Stage 2 Application of HOTS to other areas

Stage 3 Reading the text

Stage 4 Checking comprehension through LOTS

Stage 5 Re-introduction of HOTS (based on analysis of text) in relation to the text

Key Components Examples of Activities

Pre-Reading Activity • What are motives? How can you know why

someone does something? (Oral activity)

Basic Understanding

(LOTS)

Analysis and Interpretation:

• Explicit teaching of HOTS

• Examples of using the

HOTS in real-life situations

(oral or written).

• Using the HOTS you taught

to help understand the text

(written).

• Teaching literary terms

and using them to analyze text.

• worksheet define all the unfamiliar words of

the text.

• Have the students complete a chart with

“translation”

• Rue - Pain



• Optional: Activities for analyzing and interpreting (as you have done in the past). • Role play activity: Son goes out late at

night on a school night. Mother waits at home

very worried.

• Why did the son go out?

• Why is the mother worried?

• Now we read the text: and apply this HOT

to the text.

• What is the motive of the wise man in the

first part of the poem

When I Was One-and-Twenty

A. E. Housman (1859-1936)

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard a wise man say,

"Give crowns and pounds and guineas

But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

But keep your fancy free."

But I was one-and-twenty,

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard him say again,

"The heart out of the bosom

Was never given in vain;

'Tis paid with sighs-a-plenty

And sold for endless rue."

And I am two-and-twenty,

And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.

No use to talk to me.

Friday, November 29, 2013

How to design an engaging worksheet for students.

Do your students groan when you hand out worksheets?  Well that doesn't have to happen.  If we spend a little bit more time and thought to design, worksheets can be more engaging.

I found a video that will help you to design more effective worksheets:
 http://www.lynda.com/Business-Elearning-tutorials/Teacher-Tips/141465-2.html

This is very important information, I know that we all have lots of experience in writing worksheets, but this will help us teachers be more effective.

Good luck!
Rachael Alice http://rachaelorbach.weebly.com

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

There are FOUR ways that we can say the Future Tense

There are FOUR ways that we can talk about the Future Tense in English.

The first two are called the Future Simple.

1.  Will  - used to make a prediction  or talk about the future.
The form of the Future Simple with Will is very simple.

We use the word will and then the verb in the base form.

I will do my homework.  This is a perfectly good sentence in the Future Simple. "Will" signifies that the action is in the future, and the verb "do" is the action.  Let's write another one:

You will attend the meeting at 12:00 noon.

"will" is the marker for the future, and attend is the action.

2. Be Going To. - used to talk about plans in the future.

The form of Be Going to has to be conjugated to agree with the subject of the sentence.
I  am going to . . .
He is going to
She is going to
It is going to
You are going to
We are going to
They are going to

I am going to set up my schedule for next week.  This sentence is an action that indicates a plan for the future.

He is going to write the report next week.
In order to make this form of the Future more clear we often use a time marker such as next week. tomorrow, tonight, next year, next month

3. Present Simple talking about the Future: We use a time marker, either in the beginning or at the end of the present simple phrase.

The form is a regular Present Simple sentence.
I begin my new class next week. - Here the time marker is at the end of the sentence.
Next week, Cory starts his new job. - Here the time marker is at the beginning of the sentence.

4. Present Progressive talking about the Future  - Actually "Be Going To" is a special form of the Present Progressive talking about the Future.

The form is the same as we used for Be Going To, but we can use any Present Progressive tense verbs.  In order to make it more clear that we are talking about the Future, we use time expressions but this usage is more for the immediate Future, next week, tomorrow, or later today.

I am flying to Europe tomorrow.
She is leaving next week.
They are working on the project in the afternoon.


How do you know which form of the Future to use when speaking or writing?
Check whether the sentence needs more than one verb. If the sentence needs will, then you won't need an infinitive like to play

. I am going to play the piano now.
 "to play" is an infinitive. When you use the Present Progressive or Be Going to, you will have an infinitive.

When the sentence uses the Future Simple with "will" there is not infinitive.

I will play the piano.  Here the sentence does not need an infinitive.  The verb 'play' is in the present tense.

Now use your new skills in the Future Tense and do this exercise.

Exercise:  Print out this page and fill in the missing verbs in the Future, from words in the Word Box. There are more words than you need, and some may be used twice. You might have to conjugate verbs to make them fit the sentence. Some sentence can use more than one choice.

Word Box: will, be going to, plan, perform, see, hear, jump, sew,  sing, dance, be flying, be leaving.


1. We ___________________ to France this year because I want to study French.

2. We ____________ go to London this summer because I _______________ study English at the University.

3. The company_______________ to expand next year.

4.  Sam ______________ work at his new job in London, so I_____________be able to meet him for lunch at least once a week.

5. You _______________ start your new job next week.

6. David _________________ his new classical guitar compositions tonight at The Yellow Submarine Club.

7. The editor __________________ read ten books next month.

8. The computer hardware companies ____________ lay off workers, while the cellphone companies are expanding.

9. I ____________________see the new movie tomorrow night.

10.  Tomorrow, she________________ the company.









Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Project about Conflict for 5 points

 ב"ה
 

This is a project about Conflict that I have used for 5 points.  Good luck

Rachael Alice 


Project About Conflict













 Introduction

Conflicts between people or groups and in different societies are common. They often occur when people do not communicate, are unable or don't want to consider different points of view and refuse to accept the traditions and beliefs of other people. The negative aspects and harmful behaviors associated with societies that do not value cultural pluralism may be lessened when people take the following steps:

face their prejudices;
work on identifying common beliefs, interests and goals;
learn about each others' customs, traditions, and histories;
listen to new perspectives with open minds;
respect the rights of others to promote the common good.

In this project you are going to examine a conflict, learn more about it and then express
your opinion about that conflict in a letter to the editor of a newspaper.








  1. Find definitions of the noun "conflict”  in different dictionaries and copy them onto your page.
  2. Now you are going to write questions for a survey. Write the title "Conflict Survey" on your planning page and then write ten questions for a "Conflict" survey.
  3. Conduct your survey in your class and /or at home.
  4. Write a report about the results of your survey. You can use a diagram or pie chart to show the results.

  1. Find a quotation or quotations that you identify with about conflict, prejudice, intolerance or hatred.
  2. Read these words and explanations connected with Conflict Resolution:

    COMMUNICATE
Some conflicts start because people misunderstand each other. Talking things out and explaining might take care of it.
NEGOTIATE
When two or more people decide to work out a conflict themselves, they might follow a set of steps. The steps help them work out the conflict or negotiate.
MEDIATE
Sometimes people want to work out a problem but have trouble negotiating. They might ask someone to help them. That person is called a mediator. He or she mediates the conflict by helping the people work it out. The mediator does not tell the people what to do; he or she helps them decide for themselves.
ARBITRATE
Sometimes a mediator does solve people's problems. Then he or she isn't called a mediator. He or she is called an arbitrator. When people ask an arbitrator to help them, they must agree to do whatever the arbitrator suggests.
LITIGATE
When people can't work out their conflict themselves, they may go to a court and have a trial. They hire lawyers and go before a judge. A judge is like an arbitrator. The lawyers try to convince the judge that their client is right. The judge decides who is right according to the law and decides what solution there should be.
LEGISLATE
To legislate is to make something the law or a rule. Some kinds of conflicts cause people to try to change laws or rules so the problem won't happen again.
  1. Now, write something about the quotation you chose about conflict, prejudice, intolerance or hatred.
    • Use at least one of the words above (negotiate, mediate, arbitrate, etc) in your writing.
    • You may write your opinion about this quotation.
    • Do you agree/disagree with the quotation? Explain why.
    • You may write a little anecdote (story) illustrating the quotation.
    • You may give some examples to explain the quotation.

  • Examine an example of conflict, prejudice intolerance or hatred anywhere in your society, school, city, country or in the world.
 Here are some examples of conflicts:
Israeli and Palestinians
Internal conflicts in our country – worker’s unions, disabled people, ethnic groups, religious and nonreligious people,
Catholics and Protestants in Ireland
Osama Bin Laden and the USA
Man’s conflict with the environment

  • Choose a conflict you would like to study.

  • Answer these questions about the conflict you've chosen to study:
    1. Who are the two sides of this conflict?
    2. How do they express the conflict?
    3. What are the causes of the conflict?
    4. Who are the leaders in this conflict?
    5. What is the history of this conflict (in short)?
    6. What is a possible solution or solutions for this conflict?
    7. Where did you find your information? (bibliography)
    8. What is your conclusion about the conflict you studied?
  • Check your grammar and spelling.






  • Stage 4 - Expressing Your Opinion

    Readers can express their own opinions about subjects in the "Letters to the Editor" section of every newspaper.
    1. Write a letter to the editor of a real newspaper stating your opinion about the conflict your project is about.
    2. Now follow these steps:

      [Write your name here.
      Address and telephone number.
      Email address here.
      Write the date here.]


      The Editor, [Write the name of the newspaper here.
      Write the newspaper's address.]

      Dear Sir/Madam,

      Re: [ write the issue you're writing about, e.g. "Conflict in Ireland" or the name and date of the article you're referring to]
Paragraph I
Paragraph II
Paragraph III
Sincerely yours,
[Your Name]

    1. NOW FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:
      • Write in short, get to the point quickly.
      • Try to add something personal in your letter.
      • Divide your work into clear paragraphs, check your spelling and use connectors where possible.









Stage 5 - Presenting Your Work:

Written Presentation:
The written presentation is in fact a presentation of the final draft of ALL the written stages of this project. Your project should be submitted in an organized and neat fashion in a folder. You may illustrate it. Make sure to include the following components:
1.                  Cover page. Title of project, your name, class, date.
2.      Table of contents.
3.      Introduction.
4.      Sections of the Project (Include here all the stages of the project that you did)
5.      Conclusion.
6.      Bibliography. (Don't forget to cite all the internet sites you used in your project
7.      Reflection. Write a page in which you express what you learned/gained through doing this project.
8.      Appendices.
9.      Illustrations.





General Reflection Sheet :

Please write your reflections about the whole "Conflicts Project" and include this page in your Written Presentation.
1.      My name is:
2.      The title of my project is:
3.      I learned these things while doing this project:
4.      I especially enjoyed this part of my project:
5.      I especially disliked this part of my project:
6.      I learned these new skills:
7.      I learned these new words:
8.      Finally, I'd like to say that...










Evaluation of Stage 1 - "Defining Conflict":
Criteria
Excellent (20-25 points)
Good (15-20)
Needs Improvement (0-10)
Copying definitions for "conflict"
I copied more than one definition correctly onto my page
I copied one or more definitions with some mistakes
I didn't copy any definitions
Writing your own survey
I wrote 10 correct questions in my survey
I wrote less than 10 correct questions
I didn't write any correct questions
Conducting the survey
I conducted the survey among more than 10 pupils
I conducted the survey among less than 10 pupils
I didn't conduct the survey at all
Writing a report about the survey
My report is clear and correct
My report is quite clear with a few language errors
I didn't write a report
Sub-total
........points
........points
........points
Total
.
.
........points








Evaluation of Stage 2 - "Using Conflict Vocabulary":
Criteria
Excellent (12-14 points)
Good (9-11)
Needs Improvement (7-8)
Copying a quotation about conflict, hatred, prejudice, intolerance
I copied more than one quotation
I copied one quotation
I didn't copy a quotation
Understanding the words and explanations connected with Conflict Resolution:
I understood all the words
I understood some of the words
I didn't understand the words
Writing about the quotation
I wrote a page about the quotation I chose
I wrote less than a page
I didn't write anything
Using paragraphs in writing
I divided my work into more than two clear paragraphs
I divided my work only into two paragraphs
I wrote only one paragraph
Using correct spelling
I wrote without any spelling mistakes
I wrote with a few spelling mistakes
I wrote with many spelling mistakes
Using correct grammar
I wrote without any grammar mistakes
I wrote with a few grammar mistakes
I wrote with many grammar mistakes
Connection between the quotation and the writing
My writing explains the quotation I chose
My writing is somewhat connected to my quotation
My writing is not at all connected to my quotation
Sub-total
........points
........points
........points
Total
.
.
........points






Evaluation of Stage 3 - "The Two Sides of a Conflict":
Criteria
Excellent (9-10 points)
Good (7-8)
Needs Improvement (5-6)
The two sides of the conflict
I explained clearly who the two sides of this conflict are
I partially explained the two sides of the conflict
I didn't explain the two sides of the conflict
The nature of this conflict
I explained clearly how the sides express the conflict
I partially explained how the sides express the conflict
I didn't explain how the sides express the conflict
The causes of the conflict
I summarized the causes of the conflict
I wrote about the causes of the conflict but not only in my own words
I didn't explain the causes of the conflict
The leaders in this conflict
I clearly explained who the leaders in this conflict are
I partially explained who the leaders in this conflict are
I didn't explain who the leaders in this conflict are
The history of this conflict
I summarized information about the history of this conflict
I wrote about the history of this conflict but not only in my own words
I didn't write about the history of this conflict
A possible solution/s for this conflict
I clearly explained my suggested solution for this conflict
I partially explained my suggested solution for this conflict
I didn't suggest a possible solution for this conflict
Cover page, table of contents, bibliography
I included all three with no mistakes
I included two out of the three
I didn't include any of them
Neatness
My work is very neat
My work is mostly neat
My work is not neat at all
Grammar and Spelling
I have no grammar or spelling mistakes
I have a few grammar and/or spelling mistakes
I have many grammar and/or spelling mistakes
Conclusion
I wrote a clear conclusion
My conclusion is quite clear
I didn't write a conclusion
Sub-total
........points
........points
........points
Total
.
.
........points




Evaluation of Stage 4 - "Expressing Your Opinion":
Criteria
Excellent (15-17 points)
Good (12-14)
Needs Improvement (8-11)
Letter-writing format
I used the correct letter form: greeting, body, closure
I used a partially correct letter form
My letter form is incorrect
Grammar
I have no grammatical mistakes
I have a few grammatical mistakes
I have many grammatical mistakes
Spelling
I have no spelling mistakes
I have a few spelling mistakes
I have many spelling mistakes
Punctuation
My punctuation is correct
I have a few punctuation mistakes
I have many mistakes in punctuation
Using paragraphs
I organized my letter into paragraphs with clear topics
I organized my letter into paragraphs with clear topics for only one paragraph
I didn't organize my letter clearly
Expressing an opinion
My argument is easy to understand
My argument is partially easy to understand
My argument is unclear
Sub-total
........points
........points
........points
Total
.
.
........points








Evaluation of Stage 5 - Written Presentation:
Criteria
Excellent (9-10 points)
Good (7-8)
Needs Improvement (5-6)
Cover page
My cover page is attractive and includes all the information
My cover page is quite attractive but doesn't include all the information
I didn't do a cover page
Table of contents
My table of contents is clear and correct
My table of contents is quite clear and correct
I didn't include a table of contents
Introduction
My introduction is clear and relates to the topic.
My introduction is fairly clear and relates partially to the topic.
I didn't include an introduction
Sections of the Project
My presentation is organized and includes all the sections of the project
My presentation is partially organized and includes most of the sections
My presentation is not organized and includes few of the sections
Conclusion
My conclusion shows that I understood the conflict I studied
My conclusion is only partially related to the conflict I studied
I didn't write a conclusion
Bibliography and Appendices
I included a clear bibliography and appendices
My bibliography is not clearly written or I didn't include appendices
I didn't include a bibliography or appendices
I wrote a reflection page which shows that I learned something through doing this project
My reflection page is minimal
I didn't write a reflection page
Mechanics
I have no grammar or spelling mistakes
I have a few grammar and/or spelling mistakes
I have many grammar and spelling mistakes
Graphics, Illustrations
The graphics I used are relevant to the topic I chose
The graphics I used are not relevant to the topic I chose
I dind't use any graphics
Bonus
My work is creative and original
.
.
Sub-total
........points
........points
........points
Total
.
.
........points

Common vocabulary words to study for this week's English test!

  Words to learn today!  Many students have English tests coming up this week, so here is a list of common words that might come up on your ...