*Present it!

Every day newspapers from all over the English speaking world report what is happening in their areas. We now want you to help us introduce some of these news to your peers.

We would like you to:

Present an article from the English speaking world. Make sure your presentations contain the three following things:

1. Your explanation of the article - with pictures and key words.
2. Background for the article - this can be more about the country the event takes place, or the company, a conflict etc.
3. 5 words you think are important to understand in connection to the article - and you should explain them in English.

Take a look here to see the assessment criteria - you will be graded.

8EF: Never mind what I said about only using CNN Student News. You can use any article/news story from the English speaking world. Just remember that the news you are to present is fairly fresh. Take a look here to see when you are to present! You will find the list on Fronter as well.

8CD: you will get your time in class, and on Fronter Thursday.

*Mock Exam

 

 

Vacation time is over and THE MOCK EXAM is just around the corner!

Here is some useful advice for you:

1. Come prepared! Make sure that you have read all the texts thoroughly and that you know the basic rules of the genres we have worked with this year.
2. Write down sources! If you have gathered information outside of the magazine make sure that you write down where you found that information. If you use it in one of your texts you HAVE TO include it (list the source(s) at the end of your text).
3. When you get the tasks; read the information (PRAKTISKE OPPLYSNINGER) at the beginning thoroughly! Here you will get information about font size, font, spacing and more.
4. Read the tasks thoroughly! Make sure that you understand the tasks and that you can say YES to all the bulletpoints at the criteria checklist (there is a criteria checklist in each task).
5. Plan your writing. Especially when it comes to Part B and your longer answer it is crucial that you make a draft / plan before you start to write.
6. Read through your texts thoroughly before you hand in your exam. You will get at checklist sheet you have to hand in with your exam.
7. Bring energizing food! Not just candy :)

GOOD LUCK!

 

*Perspectives Magazine is now available!

This season's issue of Perspectives Magazine is now available! This time the main topic is WORDS. To find it log on to Fronter and click on the folder called Ressurser and then click on the icon CAPPELEN DAMM. You have to type in your Fronter username and password. It might take a while before you are admitted the first time because one of us teachers has to confirm that you are a pupil at Nordseter. Just wait a while and then try again (the same procedure). 

We will work with the texts at school after the holidays, but you should grasp this opportunity to read the magazine during Easter. Because it is a great issue! We're talking Roald Dahl, six-word stories plus lots of other interesting texts. Remember that each text has an audio file so you can listen to the text being read while you read it yourself. We really recommend you to do that!

And OMG, there's a brilliant article on slang in the magazine:

"So, FYI: You better start studying, innit, so your exam will turn out money instead of an epic fail! #yolo"

*The True Story of the Wolf and Three Little Pigs

 

You have all probably heard the story of the Three Little Pigs. You know, the one where they build three houses in different materials in order to keep the Big Bad Wolf out (if you don't remember the story - click here). Well according to the Big Bad Wolf himself that story is not the real story. The real one is to be found in Key English at page 36 - 37. Read his story and do task 5 - 7 page 38.

If you want the story read out loud by the Big Bad Wolf himself - take a look at the video above!

8EF - this is homework for Tuesday April 8th - bring both Key English and your homework to class.

*Recap of last week's homework 8EF

Seeing your presentations about subcultures this week has been marvellous. Many of you have truly put a lot of work into it and some of the costumes were splendid! I love how many of you really went all in, looking like an authentic person from your chosen subculture. I am impressed!

But not all of you have given your presentation yet; you are to do it on Monday April 7th. Come prepared!

Furthermore; we did not have time to go through the *From present to past homework in class this week, so please bring your text to school on Monday 7th.

Until then; enjoy the beautiful hippie song "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & The Papas :)

Peace out!

*Oral Presentation - Subcultures

This week all your homework is to prepare for the oral presentation about a subculture of your choice. The key is to plan your presentation well and to rehearse. A LOT! Rehearse in front of your parents, siblings, friends, mirror, dog, cat - you name it! The more prepared you are on the day of the presentation, the more confident you are. We can't wait to see you all dressed up and in character!

Click on this LINK to find the task and the assessment criterias.

Check out this WIKIHOW link on how to give a good presentation.

Take a look at the YouTube-clip above - "Rapper's Delight" is one of the first rap songs ever made (1979)  and it made the Hip Hop culture popular all over the U.S and around the world. As you can see the hip hop fashion style has changed quite a lot since then!

8CD: The presentations will start on Wednesday April 9th - COME PREPARED!
8EF: The presentations will start on Tuesday April 1st - COME PREPARED!

*From present to past

Many of you find it difficult to understand when to use the past and when to use the present tense, so this week we would like you to transform the following text from the present tense into the past tense. Bring your text to class!

"Tom works at a bank.  He is the manager.  He starts work 
every day at 8:00 am.  He finishes work every day at 6:00 
pm.  He lives very close to the bank.  He walks to work 
every day.  His brother and sister also work at the bank.  
But, they do not live close to the bank.  They drive cars to 
work.  They start work at 9:00 am.  In the bank, Tom is the 
boss.  He helps all the workers and tells them what to do.  
He likes his job.  He is also very good at his job.  Many 
customers like Tom, and they say hello to him when they 
come to the bank.  Tom likes to talk to the customers and 
make them feel happy.  Tom really likes his job."

This is homework for 8cd for Wednesday 26th.
This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 25th.

*Oral Presentation - Subcultures

As we are leaving the strange and wonderful world of Roald Dahl we are entering another strange and wonderful world - namely the world of subcultures. A subculture is a group of people with different ideologies and usually different fashion and music tastes than that of the larger culture they are a part of.

It all started in the 1950s and 1960s with the Rock 'n ' Roll generation. Suddenly young people listened to another type of music than their parents, they dressed differently, had different hairstyles, they went to the movies and they did "The Twist" (see YouTube-clip above)! They even talked differently, using slang such as: "See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile!".

Since then several subcultures have come forth - here are some of the most famous ones:

• Rockabilly
• Hippies
• Goths
• Grunge
• Hip-Hoppers
• Heavy Metal
• New Age
• Skaters
• Emo

You are to give an oral presentation about a subculture. You will get the task and the assessment criterias next week in class, but you should think about which subculture you would like to learn more about and decide whether you would like give your presentation alone or with a friend/friends (you can be no more than three persons giving a presentation). You will be graded individually.

To learn more about youth cultures and subcultures you are to read the text "Fashion, Styles and Trends" p. 128 - 131 and do task 10 and 11 p. 132 in Key English.

This is homework for 8EF for Monday March 24th - BRING KEY ENGLISH TO CLASS!
This is homework for 8CD for Tuesday March 26th - BRING KEY ENGLISH TO CLASS!

*Cinderella

In addition to writing the most fantastic children's books and short stories, Roald Dahl also writes poetry! This week we want you to read his hilarious take on the famous fairytale about Cinderella.

Read the poem here. Do not worry if you don't understand all the words, Roald Dahl tends to make up his own words sometimes.

If you would like to listen to it while you read, follow this link. It might be helpful.

This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday 19th of March.
This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 18th of March.

Optional: Here he has a go at Little Red Riding Hood as well. Enjoy, it is so funny!

*Adverbs

Last week we focused on adjectives, and we worked on detecting verbs and nouns in sentences. We even stumbled upon some adverbs. This week we will look more closely at adverbs:

An adverb describes a verb. It tells you how an action happened.

Ex: I walked slowly.

Adverbs can also say something about when and where something happens.

Ex: I'll do my homework tomorrow.

Read more about adverbs in Key English at p. 197 and try to explain what an adverb is. Write down five sentences where you use adverbs. Then do the task below:

TASK ADVERBS/ADJECTIVES

Complete the sentences with the correct words. Write down full sentences in your notebook and explain if the word you have chosen is either an adjective or an adverb (remember: adjectives describe nouns).

early       fluent           good        hard         slowly        well

1 Can you speak more , please?

2 How do you know Oxford?

3 I like her and I think she's a very teacher.

4 He speaks French, German, and Spanish.

5 I'm tired. Let's go to bed tonight.

6 I worked really to pass my exams.

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 18th of March - and bring Key English to class!
This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday 19th of March - and bring Key English to class!

*Man from the South

As we mentioned in last week's blog post, Roald Dahl did not just write books and stories for children. He wrote short stories for adults as well, and one of the most famous stories is "Man from the South".

You are to read the story and write a short summary (approx. 100 - 150 words) - bring your summary to school. Click here to find the story!

NB: You should not wait until the last evening to read the story and write the summary - this is quite a lot of work, so why not start today?

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday March 11th
This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday March 12th

*Adjectives

In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word - they are used to describe nouns (substantiv). Adjectives do not change for singular and plural.

Ex:

• a red house
• a bunch of red houses

Read more about adjectives in Key English p. 196 and do the tasks below:

Task 1:

Choose the correct adjective from the bracket to complete each

sentence. Remember to write down full sentences in your notebook.

1. I had a (cold/heavy) drink with my dinner.

2. The baby was very (small/blue).
3. The lemon had a (helpful/sour) taste to it.

4. Last winter it was really (cold/fast.)

5. The sky was a beautiful (green/blue) colour.

Task 2:

Copy this passage carefully into your books. Underline the nouns in one colour, verbs in another and the adjectives in a different colour.

The children walked down the sandy beach. The warm sand felt wonderful on their bare feet. The tiny grains crept through their toes; tickling them gently and making them smile. It was a beautiful day. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. The boys ran on ahead like wild animals. The girls laughed at them and commented on how silly they looked. The boys tore off their clothes and plunged into the blue ocean.

 

This is homework for 8EF for Monday March 10th + BRING YOUR ENGLISH NOVEL TO CLASS

*Behold! Great Author!

We would like to introduce you all to Roald Dahl. Many of you already know him, he has written fantastic children's books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The Witches. But did you know that he also wrote fantastic ghost stories for adults and teens? Some really creepy ones... We can not wait to read them with you. 

But to prepare you for this, we would like you all to read THIS biography about him. Please spend time understanding the text, and look up words you do not understand.

This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday 5th.
This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 4th.

Optional: For those of you familiar with The BFG, read this cute story.

*WHO vs. WHICH

Who and which are called relative pronouns (subjunksjoner). They are used like this:

• Who refers to people
• Ex: My dad, who is a plumber, fixed the kitchen sink.
• Which refers to animals and things
• Ex: The old book, which was red, belonged to my mother.

NB: Do not confuse the words which and witch. Witch = heks!

Read about relative pronouns on p. 179 in Key English. Write down a rule for when to use who and when to use which in your notebook. Write down three examples where you use who correctly and three examples where you use which correctly. Then do task 11 p. 179.

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 4th of March. BRING KEY ENGLISH TO CLASS!
This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday 5th of March. BRING KEY ENGLISH TO CLASS!

*Child Labor Today

If you think child labor is a thing of the past, I am afraid you must think again. Millions of children around the world are forced to work just like children during the Victorian era.

We want you to read this article.
Also read this article about a young Pakistani boy, who fought against child labor.

Optional:
Here you can read a cartoon about Iqbal's life.

This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday.
This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 11th of February.

*Let's all agree some more!

Last week we looked upon subject-verb agreement. As you remember it is important that the subject and the verb agree. That means that both have to be singular or both have to be plural. Take a look at the chart on subject-verb agreement on page 192 in Key English if you want to refresh your memory.

However; sometimes it is not so easy to decide wether a subject is in the singular or in the plural.

Please go to this webpage and read Mini-Lesson 1 thoroughly, then do Exercise 1. Write down Exercise 1 in your notebook (all of the text) with the options you have chosen. You have to be able to explain why you chose the one option instead of the other.

Example: The big dog runs.
Explanation: "I have chosen runs instead of run because the big dog is 3. person singular (you can swop the big dog with it). Since all verbs usually get an additional -s in 3. person singular, that is the correct answer."

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 11th of February.
This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday 12th of February.

*Let's all agree!

In English it is important that the subject and the verb agree. That means that both have to be singular or both have to be plural. This is called subject-verb agreement (samsvar mellom subjekt og verbal).

Examples:

SINGULAR                                                                 PLURAL
He is 13 years old.                                                        They are 25 years old.
The girl sings.                                                               The children sing.
My father drives a red car.                                           My parents drive a red car.

Take a look at the chart on subject-verb agreement on page 192 in Key English and then follow this link and do task 1 - 13. Write them down in your notebook as well!

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday 4th of February.
This is homework for 8CD for Thursday 6th of February.

*Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

You have been working with the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian Era for a couple of weeks now and it's about time we to introduce you to the great British author of that time; namely Charles Dickens! You have probably heard about Oliver Twist, the orphan boy who ran away from a workhouse and fell into bad company in the slums of Victorian London. Oliver Twist is a novel written by Charles Dickens. In Key English you will find an excerpt from this novel. Read p. 112 and 113 and make a list of difficult words which you translate into Norwegian (at least 15 words). Remember that this book was written in 1838 and that the language therefore might seem a bit old-fashioned.

And yes; we will see the movie "Oliver Twist" at school!

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday January 28th - AND BRING KEY ENGLISH TO SCHOOL!
This is homework for 8CD for wednesday January 29th - AND BRING KEY ENGLISH TO SCHOOL!

*Victorian Inventions

During the Victorian Era lots of things were invented, such as the telephone, the radio and stamps. Take a look at the video clip above and make a list of things that were invented in this time period - your list should include a minimum of ten items.

This is homework for 8EF for Tuesday January 28th
This is homework for 8CD for Wednesday January 29th

*Irregular verb TEST

You have all been working with and learning the irregular verbs on page 206 - 208 in Key English this semester. As we have now gone through the entire list, it is time for the final irregular verb test! Browse through the list once more, work on the verbs you find hard to conjugate and be ready for a Fronter Test (with the duration of approximately 15 - 20 minutes) next week. You will be graded with UM, M, OM.

8EF: The test will be on Monday January the 20th