Our Class

Our Class 2007

2005-04-08T14:11:00.000+10:30

Visit our class blogs: Our Class 2005 , Our Class 2006 and Our Class 2007. You will find lots of new activities and links to all the students' blogs, where they write some of their work.

I've deleted all comments from last year on Our Class (2004). New students will be able to do the activities on this blog (without looking at the answers!). We can talk about how to write the answers in class.

See you very soon!

2005-03-27T11:23:00.000+10:30

St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

MEC Glossary

2005-02-22T19:17:00.000+11:00

ESP: English for Specific Purposes
MEC: Multicultural Education Coordinator
acting: doing a job for a definite period of time usually to stand for another person who holds the position in a permanent basis.
a range of: a variety of
appropriate: suitable for, adecuate
currently: at the moment, in this period in time
ISLPR: an international measuring scale to assess a person's English level in speaking, listening, reading and writing
NESB: people of non English background
mainstream course: general, for every one, not only for NESB students
tutorial support: small study groups with a teacher who provides additional help
to vary: to change
demand: asking for a service to be provided
study pathways: the sequence of courses a person wants to follow

Tsunami

2005-01-06T11:55:00.000+11:00

We are all on holidays from our course, but I know that all of the students in our class are thinking of the the thousands of people affected by the tsunami.

I was sent a very good article on what to do to help by Intrepid Express, an online travel magazine. Read what they say:

Here are some ideas for ways that you can help...

Ask your company to make a corporate donation.
Organise an employee event.
Spread the word and ask your friends and family to donate - you could always have a BBQ and put a donation jar on the table.
Change your email signature to include a link to tell people how to donate.
Print some donation forms and have them handy for whenever it comes up in conversation.
If you belong to a club or group, mobilize them to raise funds for a tsunami relief appeal.
Distribute brochures at your local library, doctor's office etc.
Contact local charities and volunteer to work in call centres or do administrative tasks.
If you want to volunteer to help out in the regions affected, please contact registered aid agencies as the relief needs to be coordinated and they will be able to advise if there are any vacancies. Your country's volunteer agency may be setting up a registry of organisations seeking in-country support, but language skills are normally considered a pre-requisite.
Aid agencies are working around the clock in an effort to find homes for orphans in their local communities. Adoption is considered a very last resort and the least positive alternative for the children, so you may want to consider sponsoring a child or donating to organisations that are specifically focused on the needs of children, such as Plan and Save the Children.
If you are travelling to Thailand, you can donate suitable clothing, sheets and blankets. The government has set up many collection sites and a number of companies have donated transport to get the goods down to the South. A huge thanks to the passengers who have already donated a lot of goods.
Blood donations - there has been a huge response throughout Thailand, so for the time being supplies are sufficient. But if travelling in other affected countries they may be in need of blood donors.

They have set up an appeal (asking for money for a charity) on The Intrepid Foundation- Asian Tsunami Appeal

You can go to this site Understanding Tsunamis at Discovery School and have a look at videos that explain how tsunamis are formed.

Happy New Year

2005-01-03T01:49:00.000+11:00

My friends took this photo of a possum
that they found in their garden on New Year's Eve.

Happy 2005 !

If you feel like reading a bit about the terrible disaster affecting so many countries near Australia, you can go to this blog: Tsunami Help . They have news, links to charity organisations asking for help, etc.

Christmas Webquest

2004-12-23T22:34:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas and a peaceful 2005! Australian map from Wendy's homepage

If you get bored these holidays, try this interesting webquest (click on the title above).
If, on the other hand, you feel a bit lazy, just click here and explore different parts of the world and how they celebrate Xmas. You could go to my country, Spain, and find out what "the Mass of the Rooster" is or what "hogueras" are.
You could also read about your own country (in English!) and tell us about some of its traditions for this time of the year.(Write in comments)

For those of you who don't know about Christmas in Australia, go to this interesting site, Christmas in Australia, and read about many different aspects of an Aussie Christmas.

Update

2004-11-25T21:59:00.000+11:00

......................................

Have a look at photoguess . Kalpana wrote the answers and guessed the one nobody knew (number 4). Read my message to her.
The recount you wrote about our excursion is ready. You'll find it in To Parramatta by boat
I posted the photo of the vine framing the verandah. It's nice, isn't it? Although this time the photos are a bit fuzzy.
Try to do the exercise on the Parramatta river. See who write a good description and gives a good explanation on the differences.
You can read about more countries and cities (Egypt, Alexandria, Jordan, etc) in Students' Hometowns or Countries and More Students' Hometowns or Countries .
Have a good three weeks with Sally and the other students.

Cheers, Rosa

To Parramatta by boat

2004-11-24T21:13:00.000+11:00

Ferries at Circular Quay

"When I had enough money I wanted to visit Rose at Parramatta but I didn't want to travel by train. I was frightened of trains. I wanted to travel up the river by boat. People said the trip was very nice" ('Mary's Story', Unit 13)

On Wednesday 24th November, 2004 a small group of students from our class (Esraa, Jorge, Olga, Silvia and and Sohaila) and two of the teachers, Marion and Rosa, went to Parramatta by ferry. The ferry is called the RiverCat and it takes 50 minutes to get there.

While we travelled along the Parramatta River we stayed inside because it was raining. We looked outside the windows and saw the green banks of the Parramatta River. When it stopped raining, we went outside and took many photos.

We arrived at Parramatta and walked along the river. On the footpath there were Aboriginal paintings about the history of Australia since the First Fleet. One of the paintings shows the fight between Aboriginal people and white people, another shows white people taking Aboriginal children away from their families.

Next we went to the Heritage Visitor Centre, where we saw an exhibition about the history of Parramatta.From there we walked over an old sandstone bridge, called the Lennox Bridge, to go to Parramatta Park. On the way we saw the centre of the city, which was very busy and nice.
We entered the park through a gatehouse. We were walking to a table in the middle of the park, but a young couple was walking towards the same table. Suddenly Marion started running and beat them. We couldn’t believe how fast she could run!

We had a fantastic lunch with food from five different countries, (Russia, Colombia, Uruguay, Egypt and Jordan). We talked and laughed a lot. When we finished lunch we went to the restaurant in Old Government House and had coffee and cakes. The waiter took some photos because the place was very nice. There was a vine framing the verandah where we were sitting.
Finally we headed back home. Most of us caught the train, but Olga and Silvia stayed shopping. The day was great, we saw interesting things, we talked a lot in English and mainly, we had a lot of fun.

Olga, Silvia, Jorge

Interesting things we learnt:

The original inhabitants of Parramatta were the Aboriginal group Burramattagal ("burra" means eel and "matta" creek)
Reconciliation was first talked about as early as 1803.
Can you tell us more...?

Lunch and Coffe at Old Government House

2004-11-24T20:44:00.000+11:00

For lunch we went to Parramatta Park, where we had a fantastic picnic. More of that tomorrow in your classmates' words...

Tudor Gate House, entry to Parramatta Park (1887)

Old Government House (built 1799-1818)
Read about it on this link and the link above.
After you read the information, write 5 questions and send them in comments.
Another day, you can read your classmates' questions and post the answers in comments.
That way you can revise what you've learnt about writing questions.
Remember the 4 steps:

Find the SUBJECT & VERB
What type of verb is it? Auxiliary/modal or full verb?
What tense?

Is it a subject question or an object question? ...........Have a nice holiday!

Waiting for coffee

Olga Silvia and Jorge after coffee

Parramatta Town Hall (1883) on the way to the train station

Parramatta River

2004-11-24T20:33:00.001+11:00

Parramata River

Parramata River

Can you write a paragraph explaining the differences in these two photos?
Try to give reasons for them (think of Mary's Story, set around 1864!)

The Riverside Walk Paramatta

2004-11-24T20:23:00.001+11:00

Jorge on the Riverside Walk

Esraa, Sohaila, Olga and Silvia

Soldiers ready to shoot Aboriginal warriors

Lennox Bridge (built 1836-1839)

Photoguess

2004-11-19T23:42:00.000+11:00

Guess what these things are and write the answer in comments.
All the photos are something you know or you have seen many times.
You can ask each other and your teachers for clues.
Good Luck!

Hi kalpana. You were right, it was our shirts!

Here is a photo to prove it! Esraa and Sohaila realised it was my shirt when they saw it on me yesterday (24th Nov, 2004). We had a very nice day. You can read all about it when I publish what they wrote this morning in class. It's great to hear from you. I hope everything is OK in your new house, suburb, etc. Do keep in touch and keep an eye on our blog. It will have new things to write about.
Cheeers from all of us!

101 ANSWERS

2004-11-14T22:05:00.000+11:00

OK! Thanks Esraa, Sohaila and Olga for giving us more ideas! We now have 67 ideas divided into the 4 Skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing).

If you can add any new ideas, post them in comments. If you can't, don't worry, just think of the best 10 ideas and write them in comments. We will see if all the students in the class have similar or different opinion about how to practice and improve you English outside class.

LISTENING

1. Listen to the radio inside the kitchen.
2. Listen to the radio in the car.
3. Watch T.V. after dinner for about 20 minutes
4. Watch the news every night.
5. You can listen to the radio when you cook.
6. Listen to the TV when you do your housework.
7. You can watch TV with teletext.
8. You can watch children's shows.
9. You can watch DVDs and read the subtitles in English.
10. You can listen to some songs when you do your homework.
11. Listen to people on the street.
12. You can go to the church to listen to the Pastor talk about Day by Day with God.

SPEAKING
13. You can talk on the telephone.
14. You can phone trades people when things need to be fixed.
15. You can phone the real estate agent if you need anything to be fixed.
16. You can talk with your family.
17. You can talk with your friends.
18. You can talk about the weather.
19. You can talk about your countries.
20. You can talk about your family.
21. You can talk about TV programs.
22. You can talk about movies you’ve seen.
23. You can talk about your life in your country of origin.
24. You can ask for directions.
25. You can give directions.
26. You can go to church and talk with different people.
27. Speak at home for least 2 hours .(English of course).
28. You can speak in the shop with the sales assistant.
29. You can talk to the waiter at a restaurant when you order your food.
30. You can ask the waiter about how the food is cooked.
31. You can talk about recipes with your friends.
32. You can leave amessage on a phone answering machine.

READING
33. Read the newspaper when you travel in a train.
34. Read the newspaper on the bus.
35. You can read the ads (specials, cars, etc) in your local newspaper.
36. You can read novels.
37. You can read poetry.
38. You can read teletext when watching TV.
39. You can read the subtitles on SBS movies.
40. You can read the subtitles when you go to see a foreign movie.
41. You can read subtitles when watching DVDs at home.
42. You can read magazines.
43. You can read the information on food packets.
44. Read recipes in our class blog.
45. Read recipes in magazines
46. Read cook books.
47. Read instructions on electrical appliances.
48. Read instruction for your medicine.
49. Read the doctor’s prescriptions.
50. Read the signs on the streets.
51. Read the signs in a shop.
52. Read the labels in clothes.
53. Read newspapers or magazines when you while for a doctor’s appointment.
54. Help your children with homework.
55. Read and write the e-mails in the computer every day.
56. You can go to the library to read novels.
57. You can read every day about current events in the newspaper.
58. You can go on the Internet and read about many things.
59. You can read about popular pop stars.
60. You can read about important people.

WRITING
61.You can write recipes.You can write a note to your teacher.
62. You can write about your day in your diary.
63. You can write letters to your friends or family.
64. You can write a form.
65. You can write a letter applying for a job.
66. You can write E-mails.
67. You can write in the computer.
68. You can write your shopping list and check the spelling in the shop.
69. You can write postcards.
70. You can write invitations.
71. You can write birthday cards.
73. You can write sympathy cards.

OK! Thanks Esraa, Sohaila and Olga for giving us more ideas! We now have 67 ideas divided into the 4 Skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing).

LISTENING

101 How to Improve Your English Outside Class

2004-11-13T15:36:00.000+11:00

Four Skills Pictures (click to make it bigger)

101

This is a new game. You have to think of ways to improve your English outside class. Very soon you are going to get many weeks of holidays. You all know how easy it is to just speak your first language with friends and family, and go on for weeks without speaking a word of English.

Think of different ways in which you can use English and write them in comments. When we get 101 ideas, you will choose the best 10 and we will publish them. (I have given you some ideas with the photos above, and I wrote the idea for the first photo of each row)

Ah! Can you tell me what are the four skills involved in using a language?

To be done

2004-11-07T01:14:00.000+11:00

Have a look at this game about the food you cooked for Kalpana's party:

Our dishes

You can also start doing some of the following tasks (exercises, jobs):

1. See if you know how to solve the code for the answers in Oz Quiz (knowing fonts in Word helps)

2. Go to Countries (Tuesday, October 12, 2004) and using the links about Australia, work in pairs to write questions about Australia and your own countries. Next week we will put them together to post a quiz on Our Class blog.

3. Go to Adult Study Centre, ESOL, ESOL2, Report Writing: Places, and you can do the exercises on Huesca: dragging, matching, and cloze.

4. Go to Descriptions of people and choose one of the photos and write a description.

5. You can also do some of the games on adjectives. You will find below the three photos.

6. In Going Global (Monday, October 11, 2004) you can answer the questions about the language of e-mails. See if it is the same as the language for writing letters that we have studied in class.

Kalpana's farewell party

2004-10-29T18:03:00.000+10:30

Kalpana and Silvia..Rosa, Kalpana and Marion

Lunch

Read the report about the day. It was written by all the students in the class.

Last Thursday was the last school day for our classmate Kalpana, who was moving to a new suburb.

We had a surprise farewell party for her. Everybody brought traditional food. There were alfajores form Uruguay, a winter salad from Russia, konafa from Jordan, dumplings from China, filo pastry with mince meat and honeymoon biscuits from Egypt. Also Yimin made a cake and Jorge brought some drinks.

Rosa took photos because the table looked very nice.

Everybody had a very nice lunch and tasted different food.
Rosa and Silvia took many photos. After we finished lunch, Silvia gave Kalpana a present from the class and teachers and Kalpana gave our teachers a present too. Silvia made a speech to Kalpana.

That day Kalpana looked very nice. She was wearing a beautiful traditional brown Nepalese sari.

All the class enjoyed the time and wished her good luck in the future.

Have a look at some photos from a fun afternoon Silvia and Hawi had at Kalpana's place a while ago.

Hawi in red sari

Silvia in red sari

Silvia in brown sari

Sydney

2004-10-28T20:55:00.000+10:30

This is the description of Sydney our students wrote to practice report writing:

Sydney

Sydney is the capital city of NSW. It is in the south east of Australia.
The population is about 4 million.

It is the oldest and biggest city in Australia. It has many beautiful places, like the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Mrs Macquarie's Chair and the Rocks near the city centre. There are many types of restaurants, night clubs, museums and
theatres. It also has attractions like Koala Park, the zoo and an impressive aquarium. Sydney has some of the most beautiful houses in the world and many beaches.

Some of the main industries of Sydney are tourism, entertainment and retail.

Sydney has a temperate climate. The average temperature in summer is 21.7o C and in winter is 12.6oC.

Many people say that Sydney is the best city in Australia.

More students' Hometowns or Countries

2004-10-28T13:40:00.000+10:30

My hometown is Pereira. I was born and brought up there.

Pereira is a medium city of about 700,000 habitants , located in the south-west of Colombia.
Pereira's climate is tropical and humid , perfect combination to mature and give its taste to the best coffee in the world.

Pereira is the capital of the smallest province in Colombia , its name is Risaralda and is part of the coffee zone.

On the 20th of August the celebrations of the coffee fair start . For 2 weeks the city becomes a huge party for every one , young and all . There are concerts , live music, dancing on the streets , bullfights and International Queens come from some countries which produce coffee.

The people of Pereira are warm and very friendly, Pereira nickname is "The city with open doors".

JORGE

Wendy's Hometown

Quan Zhou is my hometown. I was born and brought up there.
Quan Zhou is a city of great antiquity. It is the jumping off point of the Silk Road on the sea, located on the south of China, opposite Taiwan. The Taiwan Strait is between Quan Zhou and Taiwan. The population is about 6.5 million.

The climate in Quan Zhou is subtropical. The average temperature of the year is 18°C-20°C, in summer is 26°C-29°C and in Winter is 9°C-13°C. Many people like to swim in summer.
Every year the 15th day after the Spring Festival is the festival of Lanterns. Quan Zhou's people eat sticky rice balls and there is a lantern show. For a few nights many beautiful lanterns illuminate this beautiful city. People go out to celebrate the day. It's spectacular.
The people of Quan Zhou are kind and friendly. Many tourists from all over the world visit Quan Zhou.

Sohaila's Egypt

Egypt is the largest country in the Arab world, with about 76 million inhabitants. It is located in northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza strip and the Red Sea, north of Sudan and includes the Asian Sinai.

Egypt's climate is arid, hot dry summers with moderate winters.

Natural resources of Egypt are petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates and zinc.
Cairo is the capital of Egypt. The head of Egypt is President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak . (since 14th October, 1981)

The flag of Egypt consists of three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white and black.

On 23rd July is Revolution Day, all of Egypt celebrates this national day and the 6th October is Victory Day.

There are many places which attract tourism, like the Sphinx, the pyramids, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan, Luxor and Ghardaya.

The people of Egypt are friendly and warm. Visitors come from all the world to visit Egypt because it is a very nice country.

Noha's Alexandria

Alexandria has had a long history as one of the most culturally important cities on the Mediterranean littoral. It was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 before Christmas. It is located on the north coast of Egypt. It’s the main port of Egypt.

Alexandria has many landmarks, such as beautiful beaches, the Roman museum, Quaitbey Castle, and the biggest ancient library in the world. Alexandria attracts many tourists due to its attractive sites and climate. The average winter temperature in January is 10-20°. This comfortable weather allows people from everywhere to come to Alexandria to enjoy the beautiful weather.

The religion in Egypt is Islamic and Christian. The Muslim and Christian people live in harmony and are tolerant of each other.
The population in Alexandria is about 8 million people. To get to all Alexandria’s many places of interest there is a good network of trains, buses and trams. Alexandria also has a number of suburbs which are very crowded and with heavy traffic.

The average income is not enough to get everything you need. As I’m from Alexandria and love it, I invite you to spend time there. You will remember it for ever.

Students' Hometowns or Countries

2004-10-28T13:29:00.000+10:30

Mohamad's Hometown: TRIPOLI

Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon following Beirut. It is located in the north of Lebanon and it is the capital of the Northern provinces of Lebanon. Tripoli has a population of about 700,000 and is increasing very rapidly. It is one of the oldest cities in Lebanon along with Saida. The main and the first language spoken in Tripoli is Arabic. However there are minorities that speak English and French.

The centre of the city is called the "Tell" and it is in the entrance of the city in "El Nour Square". Its historical value has given it many historic monuments and sites, like the "Tripoli Castle" and the narrow lanes and streets holding the old shops that vary from original soap making workshops to tailor shops.

There are many important industries in Tripoli, there are also many manufacturing companies, like clothes factories and jewellery workshops, that have grown in recent years. Tripoli also has a main port called the "Minaa", which is always busy with ships arriving and departing, making Tripoli one of the most important cities in the Middle East for import and export of fruit and vegetables. The Minaa is also the site for the departure of boats to the sanctuary island called "rabbits Island". The tourism and recreational industries are growing in Tripoli and have proven to be important factors in its growth. Its growth in these areas allowed it to be one of the hosts of the 2000 Arabian Olympic Games.

Esraa's Jordan

Jordan is in the Middle East in south-western Asia. The city has a population of about 5 million people.

The main geographical features in Jordan are deserts (eastern deserts), the Jordan river and the Gulf of Aqaba and the highest pint is Jabal Ramm, in the south.

There are many beautiful places like Roman theatres in Amman, Petra is the legacy of the Nabataens, and industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago, and Madaba, the city of Mosaics, home to the famous 6th century mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

The principal ethnic majority are the Jordanians of Bedouin Arab origin. The Palestinian Arabs account for 40% of the population and the Bedouins represent 5%, while Arabs as a whole constitute 98% of the population.

The Jerash Festival, held in July every year transforms the ancient city into one of the world's liveliest and most spectacular cultural events. The festival features folkloric dances by local and international groups. ballet, concerts, plays, opera, popular singers and sales of traditional handicrafts.

Thanapha's Hometown

My hometown is Khonkaen. I was born and brought up there.

Khonkaen is a big city of about 2,000,000 inhabitants, located in the north-eastern part of Thailand. It has the rivers Poq and Shee. Khonkaen doesn't[t have land bordering the sea. Most people work in the fields or have businesses the city.

Khonkaen is very far from Bangkok, about 700 km. It has 3 seasons: January-March is winter, April-June is summer, July -October is rain. November and December start winter. When the summer is very hot it gets to about 37°C, people go to the river for swimming.

Khonkaen is a big city. It provides most of the services for the province. There is a hospital, schools, university, museum, and a big dam. It has many goods made by hand. It is very famous for its silks, it is the best silk in Thailand. Every year it has many tourists coming to Khonkaen to travel and to buy some goods, foods and silk.

Every year we have one Festival on 12-15 April. We enjoy going out. In the morning we go to a Thai temple. In the afternoon it's very hot. We enjoy being together. We play splashing water to make everybody wet. At night we have celebrations about the goods and food, and silk till midnight.

The people of Khonkaen are warm and friendly. They are happy and welcome tourism and people form other cities come to visit Khonkaen.

Olga's Hometown

Khabarovsk is in the north of Russia, near the border of China . Khabarovsk is the capital city of the Russian Far East. It has a population of about 800 thousand. It is a young city which was only founded in 1848.

The city is situated on the right coast of the Amu river. It is a river at the border shared by Russia and China. The Amur, and its headwaters, is the second longest in Europe. Every Autumn salmon migrate to spawn caviar on the Amur river.

Khabarovsk's climate is continental, which means hot summers above 30°C. At this time of year Khabarovsk appears to a visitor as a cosmopolitan city. Shrubs flowering around one of the city's main squares and potted plants. But it has very cold winters. The temperature often falling to 38° below zero. All he buildings, streets and trees are covered in a white coat. People go skating and skiing. Men like winter-fishing and take big fish from under the ice.

Khabarovsk is surrounded by taliga. There are also a variety of different animals, the Siberian tiger-the largest cat in the world- the snow leopard, bears, moose, deer, lynx, antelopes, foxes and a variety of forest birds.

Khabarovsk is mostly a centre of culture and science on the far east of Russia. There are six universities, many colleges,, schools, three theatres, museums, art galleries, and a winter circus. There are many green parks and children's parks with attractions. There are many places of historical interest in the old city centre, like its three cathedrals, two churches and many old buildings. There is a wide variety of restaurants, and nightclubs.

WELCOME TO KHABAROVSK! It's the best city in the Far East.

Noha'sAlexandria

Alexandria has many landmarks,such as beautiful beaches, the Roman museum, Qaitbey Castle, and the biggest ancient library in the world.

Alexandria attracts many tourists due to its attractive sites and climate. The average winter temperature is 10-20°C. This comfortable weather allows people from everywhere to come to Alexandria to enjoy the beautiful weather.

The religion in Egypt is Islamic and Christian; the Muslim and Christian people live in harmony and are tolerant of each other.

The Population in Alexandria is about 8 million people. To get to all Alexandria many places of interest there's a good network of trains, trams and buses. Alexandria also has a number of suburbs which are very crowded and with heavy traffic.

The average income is not enough to get everything you need.

As I'm from Alexandria and love it, I invite you to spend time there. You will remember it for ever.

Our Neighbourhood: The St George Area

2004-10-27T13:17:00.000+10:30

This is a report on our local area written by the students in our class:

The St George area is south of Sydney. Some of the suburbs include Rockdale, Bexley, Brighton, Sylvania, Penshurst and Hurstville.

There are many amenities in St George such a s swimming pools, TAFE, shopping centres, two hospitals, about two cinemas and many churches. There us even a beautiful beach in Brighton-Le-Sands. People go there for sunbathing, swimming, surfing, water-skiing and fishing.

The St George area is a multicultural with people from China, South America, Egypt, Lebanon, Russia, Korea, Nepal and from countries in Europe. There are many people who don't speak English very well, but they are passionate about learning and speaking English. Most people in the area are friendly and kind.

2004-10-26T23:27:00.000+10:30

Collage

Guess where, who, what, when all these pictures were taken.

You have to talk to your classmates, because not everybody can know about every picture. Good luck!

MY HOMETOWN

2004-10-20T18:33:00.000+10:30

We will be doing work on Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in class.
When we finish you will have to write a description of your hometown.

My hometown is Huesca. I was born and brought up there. So this is my description:

HUESCA

Huesca is a small city of about 45,000 inhabitants, located in the northern part of the area called Aragon, in northeastern Spain. The mountain range of the Pyrenees forms a natural border between Huesca and France.

Like most of Spain, Huesca’s climate is continental, which means very hot summers and very cold winters. In summer many people enjoy the beautiful National Parks scattered along the mountains. There are many camping areas, hotels and rural accommodation for those who want to enjoy nature and the many activities available in the area. There is camping, trekking, fishing, and horse riding. You can swim in clear rivers, filled with icy water from the melting snow that still covers the high peaks of the majestic Pyrenees. In winter Huesca is well known all through Spain for its fantastic skiing fields.

Huesca is the capital of a big but mostly uninhabited province, also called Huesca. As the capital city, it provides most of the services for the province. There are hospitals, schools, university, art galleries and a museum. The province of Huesca does not have big manufacturing industries, it lives mainly on agriculture, cattle in the Pyrenees and tourism.

The 10th of August is the day of San Lorenzo (St Laurence), the city’s saint patron. For two weeks the city becomes a huge party for every one, young and all. There are religious celebrations, concerts, music and dancing on the streets, markets, fireworks and even bullfights. Everybody dresses in white with green scarves around the neck and a sprig of basil pinned to their clothes. Celebrations start early in the morning and last till very late at night. Some people stay up all night and go home to have breakfast the next day!

The people of Huesca are warm and friendly. Visitors come from all over Spain to stay in Huesca.

Panticosa (Pyrenees) ......Dressed in white & green

Students' work

Click here Huesca Report to print the description of Huesca and some excersices that will help you write your own description.

Once printed, do the following exercises:

1. Name the different parts of the report:

General statement
Description & details (1,2, 3,…)

2. Highlight the verbs in yellow: mostly present tense

3. Highlight the generic participants in pink: groups of people not individuals

4. Circle the adjectives: Are there any comparatives or superlatives?
5. Underline the noun groups (article+adjective+noun)
6. Notice the specific vocabulary: geographical, climate, people, customs, special events
7. Notice the conjunctions used to link sentences

Hello again

2004-10-17T19:12:00.000+10:30

Hello to all the students that haven't had the opportunity of using our blog since we looked at it together in the study centre.
We've been lucky enough to get a computer room for our class every Tuesday after lunch (a big thanks to Nicole for helping us with that!), so now we will be able to work on our projects, homework, assessments, quizzes, etc together.

Some of you already now how to use computers. Others are new to the world of computers and the internet. Don't worry! We were all once beginners, and if you have any problems we'll all be together to help each other.

So have fun and enjoy using your English!

OZ QUIZ

2004-10-17T18:59:00.001+10:30

Six students in our class got together in two groups and created a quiz about Australia for Teresa's students to solve.

You can all try to solve it and write the answers in comments.
You can check the answers by looking below, but beware...... they are coded!
Click for Oz Quiz

Here are some links that can help you with Australia:

Guide to Australia
Just the Facts
Aboriginal Culture
Ned Kelly
Australian Slang
Australian Beaches
Australian Animals

By the way, what will you be drinking if somebody invites you for a 'cuppa' or a 'tinny' ?
What about if they invite you for a 'barbie' this 'arvo'?
What type of animals are 'marsupials'?
Why is Ned Kelly famous?

Here are the answers to the Oz Quiz:
1.Australia 2.b 3.c 4.a 5. a/d 6.b 7.6 8. 2 9. c 10. a
11. True 12. d 13. False 14.b 15. c

Countries

2004-10-12T22:19:00.000+10:30

Go to Have Fun with English and click on CALL lessons. Click on lesson 5 and answer the questions about Portugal and Poland.

Think of your own country and Australia. Write similar questions about the two countries and search the internet for answers. You can work with a classmate from your country.

Here are some links that can help you with Australia:

Guide to Australia
Just the Facts
Aboriginal Culture
Ned Kelly
Australian Slang
Australian Beaches
Australian Animals

Have Fun with English Quest

2004-10-12T21:50:00.000+10:30

In this quest you will have to go to our Portuguese friends' site, Have Fun With English.

Go to the 7th of September, Subject: Holidays.

Can you find an Australian connexion?
What's larger the Moon or Mercury?
How often does the Moon go around the Earth?
When did Dean Janie Fouke go to the North Pole?
Name 5 things you can find in a tent if you go camping.
What activities can you do in Brampton Island ?
How many rooms has Devon Farm got?
How much is Devon Farm in in October?

Write your answers in comments and get ready for more work on countries. This term we are going to work on descriptions of places (reports), so on Tuesdays we can do extra practice in the computer room.

Good luck!

Going Global

2004-10-11T20:44:00.000+10:30

Interesting news everybody! Our blog is going to Portugal and Spain. As I told you, Teresa Almeida d'Eça gave us permission to link to her blog and she also put a link to our blog in hers: Have Fun with English

Go to Have Fun with English, read the e-mails we wrote to each other and answer the following questions:

What adjective do I use to describe Teresa's blog?
What adjective/s do I use to describe my students ?
What does it mean to benefit from looking into your students work, links etc. ?
How do I close (finish) my first e-mail?
What is the meaning of VImp?
What does Teresa call her students?
What do you have in common with Teresa's students?
What should you be careful about? and why?
What does EFL stand for?
How long has Teresa taught?
How can you ask why? or How come? in a different way?
How does Teresa close her e-mail?

This is what Isabel Perez said:

Hi Rosa,
thanks a lot for including my site in your links, of course you can link anything you like. By the way, I like your way of using a blog for the English class. I'm starting a course about Webquests in two weeks and we'll also see some other aspects of teachings on the Web. If you don't mind I'll show your blog as an example.
keep in touch
Isabel
Now you ask questions about Isabel's message. Write at least 3 questions and post them in comments.
Go to Let's Blog and try to decode (find the meaning of) the mistery message Teresa put on the left top corner.

Well done everyone and please visit Have Fun with English and Let's Blog

Update

2004-10-10T13:23:00.000+10:30

You've got a new challenge: Collage
I have put Links, Games, Reading and Writing on the right sidebar.Keep an eye on those links. I will add to them regularly.
I have permission from two English teachers, Teresa Almeida d'Eça from Portugal and Isabel Perez from Spain, to put links to their fantastic websites and blogs. Teresa would like you to write to her students in Have Fun with English. You can send them a message through their blog. We'll talk about it after the holidays.
Have a look at August (on the right). You will find new students' descriptions of themselve, and yummy recipes. I think we should have a party next term with the dishes you've written about. We need photos for the recipes, so what better excuse?
In August/Descriptions of People, you will find new games to practise the order of adjectives in English.
Also in August/Games you can find new links to fantastic ESL sites for games and exercises. Good work!

Do you know your classmates?

You can print this worksheet or you can copy the questions.
To get help with these questions, you can go to August (on the right of Our Class blog) and read your classmates' descriptions of themselves. You can also ask them in person!

You will also find them here:
Yiming & Noha
Hawi & Lei
Xia Dong & Ali
Kalpana & Athene
Olga M. & Silvia
Esraa
Mohamad
Jorge, Ivy, Wendy, Linda

1) Xiao Dong _____ a journalist in China.

2) Noha has got _______ hair, _____ _______ eyes, a small ______ and ___ round face

3) When Hawi is not studying, she _______ after _____ son and ________ the house.

4) _____ arrived to Sydney, Australia, in April 2004.

5) _________ lived in Japan for a while

6) Olga M. likes _________ trousers and _____________ clothes.

7) Silvia _____ ______ in Australia for ___ years.

8) In her country Esraa _____ a hairdresser.

9) Mohamad _________ in Australia in December 2003.

10) Esraa was _______ in Kuwait, but her family moved to _________.

Our Excursions

2004-09-20T21:10:00.000+10:30

Our Excursion to Vaucluse House
Before the winter holidays, our class and Therese's class went to Vaucluse House. We were lucky with the weather. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were able to have a fantastic picnic next to the beach.

Vaucluse House

Write about our excursion. Remember this is a recount:

Orientation + Events + Re-orientation + (Comment)

Use:
Simple past + Expressions of time and place + Specific participants (nouns or pronouns)

You can read the following text by a student of English from AMES Parramatta by clicking on this link:

An Unforgettable Day

Our Excursion to Mrs Macquarie's Chair

On Monday 20th September 2004 some of the students in our class went to Mrs Macquarie's Chair in the Botanic Gardens. These are some of the photos from that day.

Huge Rock ..................................Big Fig Tree ..

Botanical Gardens Gate

If you went along, please write here about the day. We want to know what you did!

RECOUNTS

2004-09-19T16:24:00.000+10:30

A recount is a story about something that happened to you, a friend, or anyone.
A few days ago one of our teachers had an accident walking to St George TAFE Hogben Street campus.

Write a recount of her accident. You can use the following words (add verbs and use them in the right tense!) or you can make up the whole story:

trolley................books............heavy
wet footpath .......rain.....to trip over...........to fall down
to land ............chin first aid .......kind lady
emergency..............mobile phone ambulance.....hospital
3 stitches .............. teeth caps............dentist

Look in this blog's
A Day at the Beach and Our excursions for the structure of the recount and more examples of good recounts.

********

Look in comments and read the first 3 versions of Suzanne's accident. Have a gook look at the verbs and notice how the past continuous is used to set the scene, as we learned in class yesterday. Well done!

A Day At The Beach

2004-09-18T20:48:00.000+10:30

This is a recount that your classmate Yu wrote before going to Perth. Read it and post your own recount of a weekend, interesting day or short holiday.
This is how to write a recount:

Orientation (who,what,when,where)+ Events + Re-orientation + (Comment)

Use:
Simple past + Expressions of time and place + Specific participants (nouns or pronouns)

The Pacific Ocean

Sydney views from the water

Opera House

Yu's weekend

Last Saturday I went to Long Bay with my family. In the morning we got packed. At about 10 am we started to go to Long Bay. The trip in the car was long. After about an hour we got there.

At the beach we swam and surfed all morning. Then we played cricket for two hours. At lunch time we ate fish and chips. In the afternoon I sat on the sand and read the newspaper. My husband went fishing on the rocks. He didn't catch any fish, but it was very relaxing. Later we sat in the sun and ate an ice-cream. Finally we packed up for home at sunset. We had a great day.

Yu Wang

Love Stories

2004-09-17T11:50:00.000+10:30

This is the fantastic love story Olga S. wrote. Olga started learning English a couple of months ago. It is not a real story, but it sounds real. Try to use your imagination and write a love story similar to this one.

Andy drawing Olga

Olga's War Love Story

His name was Andy. He was from Poland. He was an artist. Andy was twenty-five years old. His family lived in Krakov, a very old and beautiful city.

Andy often drew the avenues of Krakov. Once he saw a girl. She was drawing an old church. Her face was beautiful and her picture was beautiful too. They started talking.

Her name was Veronica. She was twenty-three years old. Veronica lived in Canada She was a doctor. Veronica loved to draw. She arrived in Poland as a tourist.

They took a walk around the old city. Only one day.

The next day was the first of September, 1939, the beginning of the Second World War.
They lost contact with each other.

Ten years later Veronica arrived to Paris. She went to a museum and she suddently saw her portrait.

Two hours later they had found each other and were never again separated.

Olga S. sitting in Vaucluse House

2004-09-07T18:41:00.000+10:30

Hawi, Kalpana and Silvia

Winners of our 1st Blog Competition

Competition

2004-08-29T23:27:00.000+10:30

The first student to answer all the questions will get a prize!

The answers have to be correct and your English should be perfect (or nearly perfect)

You can find the answers by reading the different postings on this blog. You may also have to click on the links (blue and underlined)

QUESTIONS
1.How many modal verbs are there in the above instructions?
2.What's another name for the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt?
3.What languages do they speak in Azerbaijan?
4.Who is Margaret Hanrahan?
5.When do Spanish people eat twelve grapes in twelve seconds?
6.Who went to Long Bay on a weekend?
7.Where did Andy and Olga come from?
8.Do you need onions to make gazpacho?
9.Why is Haberfield important?
10.At what time was this comment written:It's good to see older women still learning English!?

Good luck!

We've got our winners: See the 3rd comment to find them and their answers. The answer to question number 1 is not 100% correct, but we haven't done it in class. To find the correct answer you can look at
Modals Chart

Descriptions of People

2004-08-29T23:22:00.000+10:30

"..a tiny Korean woman: Kimy. She's wearing a blue silk dress and bright lipstick, and her eyebrows have been drawn on a little lopsided. Her hair is salt-and-pepper gray; it's braided and coiled into two buns at her ears."

"Henry's dad is thin, tall, angular, and tired. He doesn't look much like Henry. He has short gray hair, dark eyes, a long nose, and a thin mouth whose corners turn down a little."
(The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffengger)

We have been learning how to describe people. Look at the three descriptions below and tell me which one is correct. A good description (at your level) should have:

Stages: introductory sentence & description of at least 3 features
At least 1 conjunction to join sentences (and, so, because)
Appropriate vocabulary
Correct sentences (S+V+O)
At least 2 noun groups: beautiful hair, a tiny Korean woman
At least 3 forms of to be and/or to have correctly
Correct personal pronouns
Capital letters, commas and full stops correctly used
Good spelling

Text 1
This is a photo of my friend Anne. I think she is very pretty. She has a round face with freckles. She has long curly red hair. Her eyes are round and very blue and she has a beautiful smile.
Anne is not very tall, but she has a slim figure. I like they way she dresses. She always wears nice modern clothes.

Text 2
This photo is my friend Anne she is . very nice. She wears jeans and blue shirt.

Text 3
This is photo of Anne i think she is very bretty. she have round face, and . She has red long hair curly. She is eyes is round and very blue
she has beautiful smile.
Anne isnt very tall, but, she is slim figure. I likes they way she dresses. She always wear beutifull clothes. I like she veri much.

YOUR TURN NOW!

Look at these photos and write a description of the people in them:

(You can click on each photo to see it bigger)

More practice...
If you want to have fun practising the order of adjectives in English, you can visit the following sites:

410 Grammar .............................
410 Grammar exercises
The order of adjectives
ESL Adjective Order
Adjectival Magnets

Sohaila's Description:

This is a picture of a man. He is standing in front of a door. He is tall, he has long black hair and he has dark skin.
He is wearing a grey and black tracksuit.
He is wearing a watch.
He is holding a paper.
He looks unhappy.

Hello

2004-08-25T22:18:00.000+10:30

This is our English Class blog spot.

This is our English class.

Write a description of yourself the first time you post (write) something.You can read examples of descriptions if you click on the first two links that appear in the posting Interesting Links for English Reading and writing

This is Marion's description:

My name is Marion and I come from Ireland. I have been in Australia since 1978. I live in the suburb of Caringbah, in southern Sydney, with my husband and three daughters. They are 20, 18 and 14 years old. Their names are Lucy, Claire and Katie. I teach English at St. George TAFE and I love my job. It is very interesting and I enjoy meeting people from different countries. Most of the students are very good at coming to class on time and regularly doing their homework! I think I am very lucky to have such good students! When I am not teaching, I like reading, listening to music, walking on the beach or watching good movies. I also enjoy travelling and learning more about other cultures.

This is mine:

My name is Rosa. I come from Spain and I have been in Australia for nearly twenty years. I teach English at a TAFE college in Sydney and I love my job.
I live in a beautiful suburb of Sydney close to the city. It is next to Sydney's Little Italy, Leichhardt, where we often go for pizza with my husband and two sons.
I like reading, going to the cinema, swimming, bushwalking and being with my friends. I enjoy travelling and I visit my family in Spain regularly.

Teachers Marion & Rosa with Yana

You can spend some time practising your English if you click on this link. There are many games and information to help you with your vocabulary and grammar
English Grammar & Vocabulary Games
More English practice
Languages by Countries

Interesting Links for English Reading and Writing

2004-08-24T17:39:00.000+10:30

Go to the following links to get ideas on how to write short texts to post on Our Class blog:

Margaret's ESL ClassWriting about yourself.
Meet Our ClassWriting about yourself

A girl from SpainSpanish Christmas

Cities: Writing about your favourite city in the world.

Difficult Experiences: Writing about difficult, scary or frustrating experiences in your life.

Games

2004-08-18T11:49:00.000+10:30

I will add links to ESL (English as a Second Language) games and interesting links to this post, so keep an eye on the updates!

Games
ESL Games & Quiz Corner
ESL go-free
Matching Synonyms
Same Difference
More Synonyms and other games
ESL:Games
English Games
Isabel's ESL Site

2004-08-12T23:15:00.000+10:30

Yi Ming and Noha

Yi Min

My name is Yi Min. I come from China. My parents live in Shanghai, China.

I'm fifty-two years old. I'm 163cm tall and slim. I have light skin. I have a round face and wear glasses. My nose is small, and I have a small mouth. I have always got long wavy brown hair. I always wear a jacket and pants.

I'm married and live in Banksia wiht my husband. I'm a housewife, but I go to TAFE to learn English four times a week. I like listening to music, and I prefer country music. I like watching movies, but I don't like horror movies. I like to read books. I like knitting jumpers and I like designing clothes. I like cooking, but I don't like speaking English, specially I don't like to write because English is so difficult for me.

Noha

My name's Noha. I come from Egypt. I'm 26 years old, married but I haven't got any children yet.

I've got black hair, big brown eyes, a small nose and a round face. I wear glasses. I always wear casual clothes when I come to school, but I wear track suits at home.

This year I'm studying very hard and I can understand a lot of English. I'm friendly with my classmates.

In my free time I go for walks and I go shopping. Sometimes I listen to Egyptian music.

2004-08-12T23:14:00.001+10:30

Hawi and Lei

HAWI

My name is Hawi. I come from Ethiopia but I have lived in Australia for three years. I live in Kogarah with my son. I am twenty four years old and about 160 cm tall.

I have a brown complexion, long frizzy black hair, I have got an oval face with full lips, big brown eyes and a small nose. I always wear a T-shirt and jeans.

I study English full time at St George TAFE. When I am not studying, I look after my son and clean the house. On the weekends I walk with my son. I like walking. We go to different places.

I am a friendly and sociable girl.

2004-08-12T23:14:00.000+10:30

Xiao Dong and Ali

XIAO DONG

Xiao Dong was a journalist in China. This afternoon (16th September 2004) she came to tell us that she has got a job with the biggest Chinese newspaper in Sydney. We are very happy for her, but we will miss her. She is thinking, though, of coming back to TAFE next year to study more English . So till then, good luck in your new job, Xiao Dong!

ALI

My name is Ali El-Dirani. I was born on the 10th of September, 1981.
I am 23 years old, and married. I live in Bexley, NSW.

I am originally form Baalbek in Lebanon. I arrived to Sydney, Australia, in April 2004.
I got married in December 2003. I met my wife while she was on holiday in Lebanon. We have been together for about 2 years.

I am 173 cm , I have brown hair, brown eyes, and white skin. I weigh 75 kilos.
I like to play basketball. Sometimes my friend and my cousins and I go to play basketball .

2004-08-12T23:13:00.000+10:30

Kalpana and Athene

KALPANA

My name is Kalpana. I come from Nepal and I have been in Australia only for six months. I live with my family in Rockdale. I have one daughter. I'm in my late thirties. I'm of average height and medium built. I have fair skin and an oval face. My eyes are small, but I have a long and sharp nose. I have short straight black hair. I always wear a chain, earrings and a hairband.

I'm a full time student at TAFE. I spend my free time watching Indian movies, listening to Hindi music and playing computer games. My hobby is cooking. I started enjoying food only after my marriage. I learned most of my cooking from my mother-in-law. Then I started exploring new food and started learning to cook at the same time. Today cooking is one of my favourite activities. I love to cook for myself and for others. I feel proud of myself when someone likes my cooking and enjoys the food. Now I can cook different varieties of food from different countries, such as Nepal, India, Japan (I lived in Japan for a while) and China.

2004-08-12T23:12:00.000+10:30

Yana, Olga and Silvia working very hard!

OLGA M.

My name is Olga. I come from Russia. I have lived in Australia for four years. I am 45 years old. I am about 170 cm tall and have a light complexion. I have pale skin, a narrow nose and a small mouth. I have long straight brown hair and a thin face with green eyes and thin lips.
I like wearing trousers and comfortable clothes.

I am married. We live in Rockdale with my husband Edward. We rent a flat. My flat has two bedrooms and a living room. It is on the ground floor and has a balcony. It has a kitchen and a bathroom. My favourite room is the kitchen because I like cooking for my family and my friends.

SILVIA

My name is Silvia and I come from Uruguay. I have been in Australia for two years. I live in Rockdale with my husband, we don't have any children.

I study English full time at St George TAFE. I'm 28 years old and about 164 cm tall. I have a light complexion, long straight blond hair and a thin face with green eyes and small lips. I always wear jeans and a sweater. I love sports clothes.

When I'm not studying, I work cleaning houses in differernt suburbs, but in my free time I like cooking, listening to music, watching Spanish movies, writing emails and speaking with my friends.

I think that I'm a sociable and friendly person, because I have a lot of friends in Uruguay and Australia too.

2004-08-12T18:54:00.000+10:30

Esraa

My name is ESRAA, I was born in Kuwait, then my family moved to Jordan so I have a Jordanian passport. I'm 27 years old, married. My husband Fathi is Jordanian too. He is 39 years old.

I have been in Australia since 16/4/03. I live in Brighton-Le-Sands with my husband. I study English at TAFE. In my country I was a hairdresser.

Im 155cm tall and weigh 57 kg . I have a round face with big brown eyes, an average nose and a nice mouth. In this photo I'm wearing green pants, a beige blouse, a green and beige scarf, and brown sandals.

I'm a friendly girl.

2004-08-12T18:45:00.001+10:30

Mohamad

My name is Mohamad El Mir. I am a 33 year old Lebanese man. My wife's name is Bahija and she is 19 years old.

I am about 174 cm tall and I weigh 65 kg. I have big brown eyes and light brown hair. I have a very slim body and a charming smile and a small beard.

I go to St George TAFE where I study English and I also work in a biscuit factory called Arnotts. My wife is still a student in her final year of secondary education and doing her HSC. I have been in Australia since December 2003 and I plan on making it my future home where I will have a family with my wife and settle down in a house of our own.

2004-08-12T18:45:00.000+10:30

Linda and Jorge

Jorge
My name is Jorge. My nationality is Australian, but I was born in Colombia. I'm 48 years old. I am 165 cm tall and I weigh 70 kilograms. My body is a little thick.
My face is oval. I have brown hair, brown eyes and a brown moustache..

I am generous and smart. I'm trying to learn and getting to be more knowledgeable. I am sociable, but sometimes shy.

IVY
My name is Ivy. I come from Northern China. I have been in Australia for a few years.

I'm 23 years old. I'm not tall and I weigh about 90 pounds. I have yellow skin, black hair, brown eyes and thin lips. Sometimes I wear glasses, jeans and a T-shirt to school, but I usually wear pyjamas at home. I like wearing different styles of earrings, necklaces and rings.

My hobbies include reading novels, listening to music, and travelling. I'm also studying Financial Services on a part time basis at St George TAFE.

I married my husband two years ago in Sydney. He is a drafstman working in a telecommunication company at Chastwood. I have a seventeen month old baby boy. He's very active and he keeps us busy all the time. My husband and I live in a rented apartment in Hurstville. However, our son now is staying with my parents in China. He's coming back soon. I love my family so much.

I'm an easy going lady., and always want to make more friends.

Lei and Andy at Vaucluse House

WENDY
My name is Wendy. I come from China. I have been in Australia for ten months. My husband was here first, then I came to live with him.

I'm twenty seven. I'm tall and a little fat, because in Australia they have many delicious foods from different countries. I have a round face and yellow skin. My hair is black and my eyes are brown. I usually wear track-suits.

I'm pregnat now, so I can't get a job. My husband and I are very happy and are really looking forward to having our baby.

Recipes

2004-08-07T14:26:00.000+10:30

We all love good food and some of us are very good cooks. Just remember the delicious food we had at our end-to-the-term class party and the fantastic dishes you share at your gourmet parties!

Gourmet Parties

Now you can share your best recipes. Have a look at mine for gazpacho. Yes, this is the recipe that won me a trip for two to Melbourne. I hope you enjoy it!

Rosa's Gazpacho Andaluz

Recipe writing:
a list of ingredients: food and amounts
followed by the method: cooking verbs in the imperative

Silvia, everyone wants your alfajores recipe, so get on with it and post it...

STUDENTS' RECIPES

2004-08-06T18:29:00.000+10:30

SILVIA'S ALFAJORES

INGREDIENTS
250 g flour
250 g cornflour
250 g sugar
175 g butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
grated rind 1 lemon

METHOD
1. Put in a bowl: flour, cornflour, sugar, baking powder and lemon grated rind.
2. Mix all together and add butter.
3. Add egg, knead and roll flat (1cm thick).
4. Cut into round shapes with a small cup or glass.
5. Put in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes.
6. Once cooked, join 2 pieces with caramel and cover with coconut.

MOHAMAD'S TABOULI

Tabouli Salad
INGREDIENTS
a bunch of parsley
4 tomatoes
2 freshly squeezed lemons
1/2 cup dried minced oats (or burghui: crashed wheat )
1 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper
1 onion
3 tbs olive oil

METHOD
1. Finely chop the parsley without the stems into small pieces, using a sharp knife.
2. Finely chop the tomatoes and onions and mix with the parsley and the dried oats.
3. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and oil and mix well.
4. You may decide to add more of the lemon juice or salt, depending on your liking (to taste).

YI MIN'S PASTA WITH BACON & CREAM

8 pieces bacon
60 grammes of butter
8 tablespoons of cream
150 grammes of Parmesan cheese
400 grammes of pasta
a little salt and pepper

First melt some butter over a low flame (if you use a high flame, the butter goes brown)
Next add bacon, cream and cheese. Then some salt and pepper.
When the water is boiling, put the pasta in the boiling water. Add some salt. Boil for about seven minutes. Then mix in the sauce.

Kalpana's Nepali Meat Momos (Nepalese Meat Dumplings)

Wrapper

Dumpling Skin (Gow Gee Pastry)

Filling

100g cabbage, finely chopped

500g minced pork (or chicken)

1 medium size red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup spring onion, finely chopped

1/2 medium size tomato, finely chopped

1/4 cup green coriander

3 teaspoons garlic paste

1/2 teaspon ginger paste

1/2 teaspoon turneric

3 teaspoons cumin powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 meat masala

2 teaspoons chicken stock powder

1 tablespoon ghee or butter

3 tablespoons salad oil

salt to taste

Preparation

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and adjust seasoning according to your taste.

Hold a wrapper in one palm. Put about 1 teaspoon of filling in middle of the wrapper.

With the other hand, bring all edges together to centre, making pleats. Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure the absolute closure of the dumpling.

Bring the water to boil in a steamer.

Oil the steamer rack well to prevent dumplings from sticking to rack. Put dumpling in steamer.

Steam the dumplings until cooked through; takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with hot and spicy tomato sauce.

MORE STUDENTS' RECIPES

2004-08-05T18:37:00.000+10:30

ESRAA'S STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Esraa's Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:
1 kg green zucchini
1 cup arborio rice (medium)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mix spices
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 liters chicken stock
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Method:
1. Empty the inside of the zucchini adn wash.
2. Put the rice with the salt, pepper,oil and mix spices in a bowl with the mince meat.
3. Stuff the zucchinin.
4. Put the zucchini in a saucepan and add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken stock.
5. Put it on a low heat for 1/2 hour, then serve for 3 people.

NOHA'S EGGPLANT SALAD

Serves 8

1 kg black eggplants
1 cup tahina
6 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt, pepper. a little bit of chilli powder it you want (to taste)

Method:

1. Cut the eggplants into slices.
2. Put the eggplant in a large tray and cook it in the obven for 1/2 an hour.
3. Mix the eggplant, garlic, pepper, salt and vinegar in the food processor and add a little bit of water if required.
4. Transfer to a serving dish, add some choppped parsley and a little olive oil on the surface.

ATHENE'S STEWED RHUBARB

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch rhubarb
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch ground ginger or 1 teaspoon lemon juice

METHOD
1. Cut the leaves off the rhubarb and trim ends of stalks.
2. Wash well.
3. Cut the stalks into pieces about 3cm long.
4. Put water, sugar and ginger or lemon juice on to boil.
5. When boiling, add rhubarb.
6. Cook genltly with the lid on until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Allow to cool.
Serves 6

My suburb

2004-07-03T13:20:00.000+10:30

My suburb

I live in Haberfield, Sydney. Haberfield is an important suburb because it was the first "garden suburb" in Australia. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century, at the same time as Australia became a federation of states, that's why it is known as 'The Federation Suburb'.

All the houses in Haberfield have a garden at the back and a smaller one at the front. They also have a drive way on one side and a one metre passage on the other. They usually have two verandahs, one at the front and one at the back. This makes the suburb look green and spacious.

Haberfield is very close to the city, so it is very easy to go to the movies, theatre, museums, restaurants and shops there. On the other hand, Haberfield is full of specialty shops and restaurants, so you can stay in the suburb without having to travel anywhere.

Federation House

Go to this site and explore the readings and exercises on different beaches of Australia:
Australian beaches

Write a description of your suburb and post it!

Invitation Worked

2004-07-02T01:17:00.000+10:30

Hello Rosa,

The second url on the invitation worked!

Wendy