Review and Reply

Today is review and reply day!

Students from five learning centers have been writing comments on this blog for the last two weeks.

Please go back and reread at least one of the older posts.  Then, scroll down and read the comments.  Pick at least one comment to reply to. Look in your blogging guide for instructions.

Here is a list of the posts from the last two weeks.  You can also use the Archives on the sidebar to find old posts.

1. Reaching Our Goals (10/18)
2. What Would You Do With Extra Money? (10/19)
3. How Would You Spend Less Money? (10/20)
4. How Much Money Is Enough? (10/21)
5. What is Your Opinion? (10/25)
6. Advice on Saving Money (10/26)
7. Advice About Savings Accounts (10/27)

(If you have time, you can type a comment to this post and tell the teachers if you want to use blogs more or less in the future.)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Advice About Savings Accounts

Today in class you compared information about different savings accounts.  Then you practiced giving advice.  You also practiced receiving advice and either agreeing or disagreeing with it.

Type a comment and answer these two questions:

1. Which account did you advise your classmate to pick?
2. Why did you choose that account?

Advice on Saving Money

Today in class you talked about advice.  Advice is a suggestion about what to do.  Some advice is good and some is bad, and that decision is yours.

Here are four common phrases we use to give advice:

• You should make an Emergency Fund.
• In my opinion, you should use an online bank.
• If I were you, I would invest all my money in paperclip companies!
• I think the best way to spend money is on chocolate candy.

Now, you should use these phrases to give advice.

Pretend you have a sister named Emily.  She is 30 years old and has three children.  She just got a $1,000 tax return.  She asks you, “What do you think I should do with this money?”

Type a comment giving your advice to Emily.  What should she do?

What is Your Opinion?

Today you read an article about money.  If you want to read it again on the computer, go here.

The author says many things about what money can mean.  Yes, it means dollar bills and coins that can go in your pocket.  But it also can mean the power to get what you need and want.  She says that sometimes money can change what you want, and that sometimes this is bad.

What do you think?  Do you think money can make people bad?  Or do you think money helps?

Type a comment and tell what you think about this.  Is money good, or bad, or neither?  Remember to say why!

How Much Money Is Enough?

Today in class there were two readings.   They were about how much money a person needs to have a good life.   The authors both had different opinions.

You also practiced sharing your opinion using Evaluative Phrases.   Here are some examples of evaluative phrases:

• “I agree because…”
• “I completely disagree because…”
• “I think they’re right about ___.  However, …”
• “I see what they mean, but…”

Type a comment and answer these two questions:

1. Tell one part of one reading you agree with.  Why do you agree?
2. Tell one part of one reading you disagree with.  Why do you disagree?

Remember to use one or two evaluative phrases when you answer and, like always, don’t forget to sign your name!

How Would You Spend Less Money?

Today in class you talked about ideas to spend less money.   Spending less money is called being frugal.   You gave your ideas and you heard ideas from other students.

You also read the ideas of other people on three websites:

• http://tinyurl.com/pclr8q
• http://tinyurl.com/lpytgv
• http://tinyurl.com/km9a6o

You probably thought some of the ideas were good and some of them were bad.   Different students have different opinions about this.  It is very interesting to hear the different opinions.

Type a comment to this post and answer these two questions:

1. What is one idea you would use, and why would it be good?
2. What is one idea you would not use, and why would it be bad?

Remember to practice Present Unreal Conditional grammar when you write your answers and to always write your name.

What Would You Do With Extra Money?

Today during class you talked about what you would do with extra money.   You asked each other this question and you shared your opinion.

You also used Present Unreal Conditional grammar when you answered.   For example,

• If I found $10, I would buy a new notebook and pens.

Today in class your teacher also asked you to write a paragraph about what you would do with extra money and why.

Now, make a comment to this post.  Type the paragraph you wrote in class in the comment. Make sure to also write your name!

Reaching Your Goals

Hello, students!  Welcome to the blog!

Today in class you talked about your goals and ways to reach them.   Then you wrote sentences about them in Present Unreal Conditional.

For example, my goal is that I want to be a better teacher.  I think I can be a better teacher if I teach a lot.   If I want to write this in Present Unreal Conditional then I would write:

• “If I taught more, I would be a better teacher.”

Always remember that when you write in Present Unreal Conditional the first verb is in the past tense, and don’t forget you have to use “would.”

Now why don’t you share one of your goals in Present Unreal Conditional.

Please type a comment to this post..  In the comment, type one of your Present Unreal Conditional sentences.  If you have time, type more than one.

Make sure you sign your name too!

Introduction to our Blog

The Minnesota Literacy Council has five adult learning centers in the Twin Cities.  Some classes are taught by paid teachers; others are taught by volunteers.

The centers’ volunteer-led classes all share one curriculum.

This blog is an effort to connect our students and teachers with each other through the curriculum.

Our hope is that students will practice writing, interact with each other, and gain confidence participating online.