English Support – Phase 3 Homework for Winter Break

Dear Parents and Students,

Here is some homework to enjoy practicing English during your winter break! English has four main skill areas: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. We have prepared a few practice ideas for each of these. In addition, look for opportunities for English practice that come along, day by day.

Happy Holidays!!

English Support teachers

I. Speaking Even if families naturally use their native language, it would be great for students to take 10 – 15 minutes each day to speak ONLY English.II. Listening/Viewing

Practice the listening exercises on http://www . esl.lab.com This great site includes dozens of short listening stories on many fun topics, organized into easy, medium and advanced levels. After listening, the students can answer questions online and see their scores!

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo - This VIDEO site has many great, short videos to watch and enjoy, followed by questions.

III. Reading During the holidays, read at least one book of your choice which is at your current

level or even slightly above. Visit the site www.readworks.org and complete the following reading comprehension exercises

assigned to you on the link. 1) The Artist’s search 2) An unexpected trip3) The other side of the magic shop.

Do not forget to ‘Submit’ your answers.

IV. Writing

After you finish reading a book, write some details about the book. Share the title, author’s name etc. You can use this for your library reading award/certificate.

Here is a great site to go to for online spelling practice, http://www.spellingcity.com/figurative-language.html

Task 1 - Reading and comprehension

Directions: Read the story below. Then answer the questions that follow. Dolphins

Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and stories of them helping drowning sailors have been common since Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we realize that their society is more complex than people previously imagined. They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for pregnant mothers and protect the weakest in the community, as we do. Some scientists have suggested that dolphins have a language, but it is much more probable that they communicate with each other without needing words. Could any of these mammals be more intelligent than man? Certainly, the most common argument in favor of man's superiority over them that we can kill them more easily than they can kill us is the least satisfactory. On the contrary, the more we discover about these remarkable creatures, the less we appear superior when we destroy them.

1. It is clear from the passage that dolphins ----.

A) don't want to be with us as much as we want to be with themB) are proven to be less intelligent than once thoughtC) have a reputation for being friendly to humansD) are the most powerful creatures that live in the oceansE) are capable of learning a language and communicating with humans

2. The fact that the writer of the passage thinks that we can kill dolphins more easily than they can kill us ----.

A) means that they are better adapted to their environment than we areB) shows that dolphins have a very sophisticated form of communicationC) proves that dolphins are not the most intelligent species at seaD) does not mean that we are superior to themE) proves that Dolphins have linguistic skills far beyond what we 

        previously thought.

3. One can infer from the reading that ----.

A) dolphins are quite abundant in some areas of the worldB) communication is the most fascinating aspect of the dolphinsC) dolphins have skills that no other living creatures have such as the 

        ability to think

D) it is not usual for dolphins to communicate with each otherE) dolphins have some social traits that are similar to those of humans

www.grammarbank.com

Task 2: Reading and Comprehension

Directions: Read the story below. Then answer the True and False table below.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - By Charles Dickens

It is the story of a bad old man: Ebenezer Scrooge who doesn’t like Christmas. He is a stingy and selfish man. He sits in his office on a cold Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, works in that very cold office because Scrooge doesn’t want to spend money on coal for the fire. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is sitting alone in his cold living room at home. Suddenly the ghost of his

dead partner, Jacob Marley appears. He says to Scrooge, “Change your life! You must be a better man. You must be kind to people. Three ghosts will visit you this night.” Scrooge is terribly afraid. Then he goes to bed. That night three ghosts come to visit Scrooge. The first is the Ghost of Christmas Past. He takes Ebenezer Scrooge back to the

happy days when he was a young man and he celebrated Christmas with other people. He was so happy. The second ghost is the Ghost of Present and takes Scrooge to a poor but clean room. It is the home of his clerk Bob Cratchit and his family. They are very poor but very kind. Mrs. Cratchit is preparing a small turkey for Christmas dinner but they are happy.

There is also Tiny Tim, Bob's little boy. He is very ill, but they haven’t got money for a doctor. “Look!” the ghost says to Scrooge, “The boy will die if they don´t get money for a

doctor.” The third ghost is the Ghost of Christmas Future. He takes Scrooge to a cemetery. There is Scrooge´s name on a tombstone. Scrooge is frightened and promises to change his way. The ghost disappears. When Scrooge gets up on Christmas morning, he is a new man. He becomes jolly and charitable and wishes everyone.” Merry Christmas!”.

He buys delicious food and many presents for Bob’s family and pays for the doctor for little Tim. Scrooge is really a new man and the spirit of Christmas is always with him.

True False1. Scrooge is very poor2. Bob Cratchit is Scrooge´s clerk.3. Four ghosts appear to Scrooge4. Bob has a boy: Tiny Tim who is hill5. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the past6. The third ghost takes Scrooge to a wonderful garden7. Scrooge becomes a good man and pays for the doctors for little Tim

Task 3: Story Writing

Directions - Look at the pictures and complete the story using the words in the boxes.

Then he pulled out a Knife!

Knew saw letter bus stop argument well the road

Last week, I was waiting at the 1___bus stop___ when I 2 _______________ an

3_______________ between a man and a woman. They were standing on 4______________,

screaming and shouting. They clearly 5_______________ each other very

6______________. The woman was holding a 7_______________ and waving it in the man’s

face. Suddenly, he pulled out a knife.

police aisle rear driver empty seat got on row

Just then, the bus arrived. I 8_______________ and asked the 9________________ to call

the 10_______________. I walked down the 11_______________ and sat down in an

12________________ on the back 13________________. I watched what happened through

the 14_______________ window. Two policemen arrived immediately and took the man

away.

arrested snack bar dangerous surprised robbed

In the evening, I watched the news. I was 15_______________ to see a photo of the same

man, on TV. The photo showed the man in a 16________________; but it was definitely

the same man. The news presenter said, “The police 17________________ the man this

morning. Police believe that he 18______________ three branches of the Boyds

Bank last month. He is a 19 _______________ and violent criminal.

Directions: Finish the story. What is going to happen next? Who was the woman? Why were they having an argument? Why did he pull out a knife? Why was he in a snack bar? Now it’s your turn. Write the end of this story. Word limit 120 – 150 words.

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Task 4 –Literary Devices

Authors use many different literary devices to express themselves in original ways. Figurative language in your writing can add to your voice as well as paint a clear picture of what you are expressing to your reader. Look at the definitions and examples below of some of the more common types of figurative language. Then add an original example of each type of figurative language in the space provided.

Figure of Speech Definition My Example

Simile A comparison of two things using the word ―like or as‖

Metaphor A comparison of two things without using the words like or as

Hyperbole An exaggeration to create a strong response Personification Giving human qualities to a non-human. Onomatopoeia Using words to imitate the sounds they name.

Alliteration The repetition of the same initial letter, sound, or group of sounds in a series of words.

TASK 5 – Idioms

Directions: – Write the meaning of these idioms below based on your understanding.

1. Once in a blue moonMy sister lives in Alaska, so I only get to see her once in a blue moon.

What does the idiom once in a blue moon mean?

_______________________________________________________________

2. Down-to-earthDavid's very artsy and a bit of a dreamer - Ruth's much more down-to-earth. I like

her down-

to-earth approach to problem-solving

What does the idiom down-to-earth mean?

_________________________________________________________________

3. Go to the ends of the earthSome journalists would go to the ends of the earth to get a story

What does the idiom go to the ends of the earth mean?

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4. Living on another planetHe doesn't always make much sense. It's like he's living on another planet half the time.

What does the idiom living on another planet mean?

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5. Many moons agoI only have the faintest memory of that time. It all happened many moons ago.

What does the idiom many moons ago mean?

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Task 6 – Writing practice Share your holidays with us and write a journal of at least a fortnight of your holidays. You can supplement it with photographs and souvenirs from your trip. E.g.: If you visit the beach you can stick shells into your journal or if you went to a mountain you can stick a fern or a flower to support your work, even a ticket stub would be nice. Use a small notebook (60 pages) and cover the book with special designs of your

choice (think scrap book journaling). It will be evaluated based on: - 1. Cover page and creativity 2. Content and Material

Task 7 – Vocabulary practice Directions -Learn ‘WORDS I MUST KNOW” from the list below. Find out the meanings and usage –Make sentences using at least 6 words from the list.adjacent dimension obedientaccumulate drastic obliviousadapt elaborate originadequate encourage peculiaranalyze equation persuade

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TASK 8 – Grammar

Directions - Complete the following sentences changing the form of the word given in the brackets.

1. We take …Frequent ……………. walks through the forest. (frequency)

2. He jumped out of the closet and …………………. the daylights out of me. (fright)

3. He said he was giving me a ………………. warning. (friend)

4. ………………. about the problem won’t help a bit. (fret)

5. The child turned and ran in ………………. from the growling dog. (frighten)

6. As the full moon rose, ………………………. howls pierced the air about the cemetery. (fright)

7. Once a year she bought something ………………. just to please herself. (frivolity)

8. Without public support our efforts ended in ………………. (frustrate)

9. The dream of a world without wars is yet to be …………………. (fulfil)

10. Her efforts to save the business were ………………… (futility)