Goodbye 2008

We had a good short week. It was good maybe because it was short. Everyone was very enthusiastic in class and we had lots of discussions. We read two good stories and we also finished the work. Please work on your story this long weekend.

I hope everyone had a good 2008 and let's welcome a better 2009.
On Monday, we will do a New Year's Resolution. Think about all the good things you had done for 2008, keep doing them and do them better in 2009. Think about the mistakes and the bad experiences you had, learn from them.

Please make a list, 5 things you did well in 2008 and 5 mistakes you should improve.

Happy New Year!
Teacher Paul

Creative Writing

Most of you guys have turned in your writing and I've been spending a lot of time correcting them.  It takes couple hours to throughly read and correct one.  I hope everyone has a good Christmas and no extra work this week.

Jack was here much of the week.

MJ, I saw your report card, please be consistent and keep up your work.

Dave, please spend some time correct your paper.

Pon Pon, keep up the good work.

Valerie, I hope after this incident, you will learn to be more respectful to mom and more responsible. Don't forget to fix your paper.

Betty, I think you know what you have to do now.  I believe you can be a good student again.

Howard, you need to learn to manage your time better.  You can be a great student, start act like one.

Teddy, you were doing well before and recently you just keep falling behind.  Learn to do your work on time and be honest.

Anne make sure you remember what you are suppose to do.  You are smart and you can do much more. 

Teacher Paul

Test Week

This week we have tests for students. The vocabulary testis already finished and most of them did a good job. We also finished our reading assessment and I will be grading them this weekend. Science tests will be given as well. There will be a progress report going out next week.

The creative writing project is moving ahead and some of the students are doing well while some are struggling. We will be working more on this as the weeks progress.

Jack - good luck on your test on Saturday, put in some real effort and you will do fine.

MJ - keep an eye on your brother, make sure he is being respectful.

Anne and Valerie - make sure you type up your writing project by the weekend.

Betty - I got your story, keep working on it.

Teddy - you made a lot of careless mistakes on your vocabulary exam, not only in Tree House but also in your chinese school as well.

Tina - please get your story submitted as soon as possible and please study your vocabs.

Howard - respect and attitude, please don't forget.

Dave - good job so far, makes sure you learn how to type and type fast.

Pon Pon - you did well on your vocab, make sure to ask me for help for your story.

Remember to work on your story this weekend. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Teacher Paul

Super Power and Vocabulary

We have started our project for creative writing. I have given an example in class and the students were mesmerized and inspired. We also started reviewing for our vocabulary. There will be a test at the beginning of next week. So please study hard.

Overall the class is doing better. Please remember to be enthusiastic and put effort in the work you do. Your work for this weekend is to do your super hero project, watch some videos too. You have to have 3 TYPED pages or more by Monday.

Pon Pon: Welcome back. We've started on our writing project, hope you can catch up.

Dave: I hope you did well in your swim meet. Please spend some time watch the shows.

Jack: please remember to do what I ask of you.

MJ: I like your story and it has a lot of potentials for more development.

Howard: Attitude and Respect, you have none. You are still rude to other teachers. Remember, you need to respect everyone.

Valerie and Betty: You are too quiet in class, please participate. Make sure you guys finish up to episode 10.

Teddy: You are doing well. Please work on your writing this weekend. Be sure to write down complete sentences, don't jump around with your ideas.

Anne: I know you've been watching the shows, but I need you to write more for your story. Make sure you have 3 pages by Monday. Not 3 pages in the student writing book but 3 typed pages.

Respect and Honor
Teacher Paul

Heroes Project

We will be officially starting our writing project next week. I have the students watch America's most popular television show, Heroes, for research.

The project is for creative writing and I've chosen this topic and this will be fun for them do.

Jack's attitude is getting better in class, just put in more effort in what you do.

Pon Pon, please try not to get distracted in class. I have noticed some of that.

Dave, please watch the shows so we can have discussion in class together.

Teddy, keep up the good work!

Valerie is improving and she reads louder now.

Anne, you are doing better :)

Betty, I know you are busy, so I will only ask you to participate as much as you can.

MJ needs to put some effort in TAS.

Everyone needs to write this down
I will be enthusiastic in class!

Week 10

After a big week of Halloween, things are back to normal. Halloween is really busy and hectic for Tree House staffs because we put in a lot of effort and time into it. I am glad for all the students who can participate.

Important world news this week:
Presidential candidate, Barack Obama has won the election and his speech was very moving. It's not only the US, the but the world will change for the better.

Jack is participating but needs to be more responsible.

Howard please pay more attention and be respectful.

MJ and Pon Pon are doing great. Both of you are completing the work on time and actively participating.

Valerie, Teddy, and Anne need to pay more attention and participate more. You guys can't just sit there and pretend to listen. Be engaged. What is engaged? Write a paragraph and tell me.

Betty and Tina are doing well. You guys try to participate as much as you can.

Extra question:
Brad stared through the dirty soot-smeared window on the 22nd floor of the office tower. Overcome with depression he slid the window open and jumped through it. It was a sheer drop outside the building to the ground. Miraculously after he landed he was completely unhurt. Since there was nothing to cushion his fall or slow his descent, how could he have survived the fall?

Halloween Week!

Test is over and everyone is doing okay except for Jack. I had him take it twice. All the rest did fairly well. Please remind your dear, cute, sometimes funny, sometimes annoying classmate, Jack, to work harder and be consistent.

MJ is good but your handwriting is looking like Teddy's.

Teddy, your handwriting is awful. You are improving but you gotta pay more attention in class.

Valerie is catching up, remember to pay more attention in class.

Tina and Betty, even though they missed a lot, they did their best. Betty you need to participate more.

Howard please pay more attention and be respectful and have a better attitude.

Pon Pon and Dave scored really high on the test. Good job boys! Keep it up!

Anne, don't forget about your responsibilities. You did better on the test, congratulations. Make sure you check the blog.

Jack, please put more effort into your future. It's in your control, I only can show you the way but I can't drag you there.

Extra Questions:
1. A bat and a ball cost $110 in total. The bat costs $100 more than the ball.
How much does the ball cost?

2. If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take
100 machines to make 100 widgets?

3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size.
If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it
take for the patch to cover half of the lake?

Paul

This is how they teach math in America

Assessment Week

This week is assessment week, so we have been reviewing vocabulary and correcting vocabulary book.  We have a lot of words and the students have been working hard.  After vocabulary test on Friday, I invited the kids to come over to my house and have a party on Saturday around 7 pm to watch a Halloween movie.

Everyone is coming and it's a good for everyone to hang out and have some fun.

Jack need to study harder and put more effort in this class.

Pon Pon is doing great and week after week he has been a great help in class.

Dave did very well in the vocabulary book and reading test but you cried in class when we said we are going to hang out on Saturday to watch a scary movie.  C'mon buddy, we are just going to hang out and have fun.  The movie is not real, don't worry about it, your friends are going to be there with you.  Don't be afraid, be strong.

MJ has good attitude but your writing is horrible.  It looks worse than mine.  Please improve your writing.

Val and Teddy need to paymore attention in reading.  You guys look like astronauts when you read because you looked spaced out.

Betty, please try to spend more time studying.  I know you have chinese stuff but I also know you have some free time.

Howard, your attitude needs to be better and more respectful.  Please also pay more attention to your own work.

Tina, Hi :)  Please use your time wisely.

Teacher Paul, you need to eat more healthy because your liver is not doing well and that's why you are tired.

Teacher Paul

Extra Question:  Have fun, relax!

World Events

This week we studied current world events. We read about the presidential election in the states and discussed about the candidates. We also talked about the bombing of Mariott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. The students particularly enjoyed talking about the milk scandal in China and how it's affecting people in Asia.

Most of the stories we read were bit dry. Only few of the stories sparked their interest. I will do more research on current events and provide stories that will get the students excited.

Individual Comments

Jack need to spend more time on English, you are falling behind.

Pon Pon is doing excellent but you need to participate more. I know the topics can be boring sometimes but I need everyone to participate.

Dave missed one day of class but I think he will be alright. You are much louder this week, please keep up.

Howard need to pay attention and not cry like a baby.

Tina was here for only a day. I guess you were busy in school.

Anne is trying in class but you are not studying enough. Your tests shows that you haven't been studying.

Valerie needs to speak up. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. Please try.

Betty looks tired. I need you to sleep earlier and focus/participate in class.

MJ is doing well, I believe you are putting in effort.

Teddy is doing excellent with his responsibility. He is doing work on time and early. I need you to participate more in class and ask more questions.

Extra Question
Please tell us something interesting about your country on Monday such as what is there to do for tourists.

Teacher Paul

Current Events

Last week I've asked the class to get a copy of TIME magazine because I want them to start reading important current events around the world. I compared TIME magazine with Apple Daily and most Taiwan publications. We discussed in class how most media (tv, magazine, newspaper) covers only local news and entertainment gossips. While parts of the world is at war, dying of hunger, and animals facing extinctions, Taiwan media focuses on the drama of Taiwan politicians and entertainers. This makes the public less informed and unaware of the world. I think I taught the class an important lesson to know the difference between news and junk.

Dave had one tough day but that's all it was. Learn from it and move on! There are a lot more tougher challenges in life than that. Stand up to your own problems. You can do it!

Jack needs to stop joking around and study harder on his vocabulary. Your attitude is good but you lack in effort.

Valerie is improving but you still need to pick up your voice.

Betty, wake up! You looked very tired in class. Try to sleep earlier.

MJ is putting in good effort and I can see the improvement. You have great attitude but don't react so loudly when Jack says nonsense.

Anne is participating more in class and speaking up but you need to study your vocabulary and put more effort in your written work.

Teddy is awesome. You raise your hand more often and pay more attention. Make sure you improve your handwriting.

Pon Pon, you are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the good work.

Tina, you are doing great. Love having you in class! Come more often.

Extra Question
Find out the capital cities for the following countries:
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Iraq
Iran
Saudi Arabi
India
Thailand
Myanmar
Cambodia
Laos
Vietnam
Indonesia
Malaysia
North Korea
South Korea

Short Week

This week was cut short by the typhoon, hopefully we won't see another one soon.  We read the story of an immigrant from Romania that lived in New York.  We also covered 2 lessons of science.

There was a lot of improvement this week compare to last week.

Teddy took what I said seriously and he finished his homework very early which gave him a lot of time.

Anne participated more in class and she was engaged.  She read louder and answered more questions.

Jack bought the TIMES magazine to school like I have asked.  He was the first person.  Jack needs to speak more clearly and laugh less during reading.  Take it more seriously!

Tina let me down because she didn't have her speech prepared even though she had more time to do it.  She is participating more but I need her to be more responsible.

Davey wrote the poem which I thought it was great, however, I need you to SPEAK UP.

Pon Pon is good, he is taking more of an active role as a leader in class.  He is gaining more confidence and social skill to talk to others.

MJ is trying in class.  I see him study and work with others.  I hope he can keep it up!

Betty is participating more but occasionally she is not speaking loud enough.

Howard forgot to do his assignment once in class and he is not paying attention sometimes.  He picks his nose very often in class.  Please stop, it's a disgusting habit in public.

Valerie did improve in participation and she paying more attention because she has enough sleep. However, she needs to be more responsible with her chinese homework.  She is taking longer time than other to complete her assignments.  Wasting time and sleeping late can be disastrous for a student.  Not only you don't perform well in Tree House but also in chinese school.  If you continue to do this and not learn to manage your time, you will continue to stay late at Tree House.

Paul

Extra Question

How does it feel to finish all your work on Friday night?

Girls girls girls!

I am having a lot of problems with girls this week in class. What problems? It's a simple one. They just don't participate enough nor do they speak loud enough. It's really discouraging for me because I spent a lot of energy teaching and talking to them. I have repeated myself too many times and I am very disappointed. However, the boys are excellent and they try to participate in all the discussions and try to answer questions.

For reading, we read the biography of Satch Paige. An African American baseball player who was an amazing pitcher. He was a crowd pleaser. This week, we've alslo started with science and we learned about classification.

Jack is improved from last week. He is less comedic and more serious.

MJ is good, he is taking the class seriously and studies at home with his father. I am really glad he is putting in effort. I hope you can keep up the effort and keep in mind what I said about basketball and school.

Pon Pon and Dave kept up and did really well. Dave, you need to read louder, make sure you do that next week.

Howard and Teddy are good but they caused troubles together. They laugh together and cry together. They got into an arguement and I hope it doesn't happen again.

Anne PUT more effort in class and participate. You need to get sleep earlier at home.

Betty, if you don't have time to study vocabulary at home, please PARTICIPATE in class.

Tina made an effort to speak up and participate. Please keep it up!

Valerie, your performance this week was awful. Not only you don't speak up but you are not paying attention. Don't let that happen again next week.

Teacher Paul

For reading:

Do you remember 921 earthquake?  Please interview one of your parents at home, ask them what happened, what was your family doing, what changes did it bring, and how did your family live the next few days.

Extra

please click here and read this article

http://www.zenmoments.org/the-cab-ride-ill-never-forget/

Week 3

Week after week, the students are getting better. They have been more responsible and independent. I have corrected their writing book and some of the work really impressed me! This week we read more about lives of immigrants and further discussed ethnicity and diversity in society.

The new story we read in the textbook was call Thunder Rose. An American tall tale which turned out to be quite dry. The language in the story the author used was difficult due to cultural difference. It has a lot to do with western (cowboy) heritage.

Everyone participated more this week.

Howard stares at other people too often and he becomes unproductive.

This is MJ's first week back, he is catching up. I hope he will be more responsible for his own work. Learning is for yourself, not for others. If he put in the passion he has for basketball into his study, he would be top of his class.

Anne, Betty, Valerie SPEAK LOUDER and participate more in class. This class requires much discussion and in turn it will help your thinking and writing. If you don't participate more next week, extra writings will be assigned to you.

Pon pon and Dave are the class captains and they set great examples for others to follow. I have assigned them some work for them to help me in class.

Jack needs to get to class earlier. He needs to joke around less in class when he is reading. Move those sausages when you read and speak so people can understand you.

Teddy showed good improvement, he is engaged in learning and he participates occasionally. I want him to raise his hands more often.

Extra Question

What can you volunteer to do at Tree House?

Paul

People and Diversity

This week, the stories we've read, centered around the topic of people and race. We've read about how America is like a big melting pot and the civil rights movements in the 1900s. Other than vocabulary, the class focused on discussions of the stories. I am trying to encourage more discussion in class to help promote their writing ability.

The students did a great job in participating.

Jack impressed me with his attitude change and he actively participates in class.

Dave is all around great especially his writing but he needs to speak louder.

Pon Pon is also all around great and he actively participates in the topics.

Betty is doing well with her sentences but she needs to speak louder as well.

Valerie is engaged but I expect her to participate more in class.

Teddy is not engaged and not excited. I can see he is trying to focus in class but he is not interested in the topics that we are discussing.

Howard is behaving well "in class," he is showing lots of interest in areas where he hasn't shown before.

Anne needs to pay attention and not daydream. She also needs to participate more. She is smart and she understands the material but she really must work harder.

Student Journal Questions
1) What is melting pot?

2) Why did people immigrate to America? at least 2 reasons

3) What is civil rights movement and how did it change over time?

Extra Question:
If your mom or dad is American, who will they vote for? Obama or McCain? Why

Teacher Paul is BACK!

Hello Parents!

I am happy to be teaching again, especially for the advanced class.  This week, we are chosing text books together.  There are two different publishers that we are considering, McGrawHill and Scott Foresman.  We've read 3 stories and we've have decided to go with Scott Foresman's Reading.  This semester, we've also added new curriculum to further help with their verbal and writing.  Lots of vocabulary this week and I will be requiring them to study them this weekend at home.  The story from the take home reader is quite difficult and the questions are not easy and it require critical thinking.

I am trying to work the kids back into shape.

Anne needs to speak up and read out loud.  She also slacked off in class on Thursday and that's why she had to stayed til 730.

Valerie participates more but she had to stay til 730 because she was playing with Anne.

Teddy takes the class seriously, but he is not paying attention sometimes and writing too slow.  He also had to stay after.

Jack has a better attitude in class, he pays attention but he doesn't speak clearly.

Dave is good and fast with his work BUT he needs more confident and speak up more.

Pon Pon is great, he enjoys the class but needs to speak up more.

Betty needs to read louder and participate.  She works diligently.

Howard is good so far.  He hasn't got into any trouble and he is doing well in class.  However, some of the questions I ask in class, he should think about it more.

Teacher Paul