Blogs

file:///Users/hongzhenchen/Downloads/Self%20Introduction.m4a

My name is Sissi, nice to meet you. I come from china. Im a student. I like dancing. 

Interpersonal Communication:

I want to be able to use simple sentences and ask and answer questions in everyday conversation.

Presentational Speaking:

I would like to be able to give a short presentation (3-5 minutes) on a chosen topic, without hesitating or making grammatical errors.

Presentational Writing:

N/A

Interpretive Listening:

I want to be able to completely understand simple sentences and understand the main idea in a presentation (whether that be religious, academic, or something else).

Interpretive Reading:

N/A

Learning Calendar:

Weeks 3/4: Brush up on older vocabulary and learn more religious vocabulary.

Weeks 4/5: Focus on speaking in complete sentences and answering questions that do not just involve a “yes” or “no”.

Weeks 6/7: Learn more religious vocabulary and be able to talk about the weather and the seasons.

Weeks 8/9: Practice asking questions (correct words, facial expressions, etc…) and answering them.

Weeks 10/11: Practice speaking about a certain topic in ASL for a few minutes, instead of just having a casual conversation.

Weeks 12/13: Continue to speak in complete sentences and begin moving on to more complex sentences and questions.

"I Can" Statements:

I can ask and answer simple questions.

I can talk about religion, in a basic sense. 

I can talk about the weather and the seasons.

I can understand a few simple idioms in ASL. 

Here is my first learning artifact. The transcript is as follows:

• Good Day (hello)/ Goodbye- Namaste
• Good Night- Namascar
• My Name is Carly- Mira nam Carly hai
• I am Carly- Main Carly hoon
• What is your name?- Ap ka nam kya hain?
• It is nice to meet you (having met you, happiness occurred to me)- Ap say milkur khushee huee
• To me also- Muhjay bhee
• This is my friend Bishan- Ye mira dost hai, Bishan.

• Artifact%201.mp3

I've been spending a lot of time learning some questions that are relevant for shopping and travel around India. For instance I have learned to say:

How much is this?

ये कितना है

Do you have SOME PRODUCT?

क्या आपके पास PRODUCT है

Can you take me to the Taj Mahal?

तुम मुझे ताजमहल के लिए ले जा सकते हैं

Where is the train station?

रेलवे स्टेशन कहाँ है

I have also been learning the answers to these questions so I can hopefully understand if people choose to answer in Hindi. Thus I have learned to say things like the train station is next to/behind/in front of the bus station and this product costs X amount of rupees. That being said, I now know my numbers through 10 and can count in 10s to 100.

This activity is one Sequoia and I made up for the 105 class. We chose body part vocabulary as the learning task and used the head, shoulders, knees, and toes song. 

The lyrics in English:

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

The lyrics in Korean:

Meo ri, eo kkae, mu reup bal, mu reup bal

Meo ri, eo kkae, mu reup bal, mu reup bal

nun wa, gwi wa, ib wa ko

Meo ri, eo kkae, mu reup bal, mu reup bal

OMER_learningplan.docx

I didn't realize you wanted this today too! 

Learning Plan : https://docs.google.com/a/richmond.edu/document/d/1X3AyCI5U-sH-N06oVxszkr2eQsZhEj_ztNoM9hYXKRw/edit?usp=sharing

Can Do: https://docs.google.com/a/richmond.edu/document/d/1Fg91LxlKS2ZemRnDWFrjYE57qvjnMsHS710gHIWec_4/edit?usp=sharing

LearningPlan.docx

I didn't get to work a lot on my speaking skills this semester because I wasn't assigned a language partner. I think it would have been nice to have someone to practice with, especially a native, so I could apply my knowledge and what I have learned and maybe receive comments or recommendations on ways to improve. Absence of a language partner was difficult in the beginning of the semester when I couldn't ask for help when I had trouble understanding a certain grammar concept or when I still couldn't fully understand a word/phrase with the help of a dictionary. But I actually met an exchange student from Korea from Yonsei University and she helped me a lot with my speaking skills. She also taught me popular Korean slangs and expressions, and I think my speaking fluency improved a lot with her help. In return, I helped her with her English and also helped translate from English to Korean and Korean to English, which also helped me in the long run for I became more comfortable switching between languages. 

My updated Korean language learning plan: BeckyChen_LearningPlan_REVISED

My 'I can' statements: BeckyChen_I_Can_Statements

Attached to this post is my updated learning plan. Although I found audio texts helpful in improving my speaking skills, it was still a bit hard to work on speaking and fluency without a language partner. 

Adjusted%20Learning%20Plan.docx

I%20can%20statement.docx

Summary:

Korea's education system is having harmful effects on students and their families because there is so much pressure in doing well in school, and getting the best education possible in order to live a good life and not be a failure. The negative effects of this education fever has caused stress on students because they need to do wee, and stress on parents who do not have the money or resources to send their children to good schools. This has led to mental health issues, bullying, and even suicide. 

PowerPoint slides: 

Korea%E2%80%99s%20Education%20Fever.pptx

Sources: 

Omer Genosar

4/25/16

SDLC 110

Hebrew

“I Can” Statements

• I can: Have a fairly fluent conversation in Hebrew.

• I can: Speak about my day and communicate my feelings properly.

• I can: Read Hebrew (without diacritics) at a faster rate than I earlier in the semester.

• I can: Talk about politics effectively (have the necessary vocabulary).

• I can: Understand spoken Hebrew slang words.

• I can: Properly communicate about texts I read.

• I can: Complete all the basic functions of a language speaker (greetings, questions, descriptions etc).

• I can introduce myself (age, school, family, hobbies)

• I can read and comprehend elementary level Korean (2nd grade)  

• I can read at a faster pace than before 

• I can understand most Korean Dramas and TV Shows without English subtitles 

• I can translate most elementary texts into English

• I can order a meal at a restaurant on my own in Korean

• I can hold a casual conversation regarding time, hobbies, buying/shopping

     This semester, I've learned to have a pretty basic conversation in Urdu. I started from the very beginning, knowing not a single thing about Pakistani culture or the language. I can kind of understand a phrase or two when I listen to my Pakistani friends talk to themselves now. It is very interesting how far I have come with a language that I never thought I would use or learn to use in my life. 

     It feels like just a few days ago, I didn't know anything but now I can greet my Pakistani friends in Urdu and ask them very basic questions like how their day is going and things of that nature. Whenever I meet new Pakistani, I can say basic conversational phrases to them and they are very surprised that I am able to do that. It is always fun to see that unexpected and surprised reaction from people.

     The difficulties lied mostly in getting started and finding a path I want to take with the language. At first, I wasn't sure what was a realistically obtainable goal and I just messed around with the alphabet and trying to write the language. Once I realized that it is more feasible and effective to just try to learn the verbal spoken language instead of the writing system, things got a lot easier. I realized that all I needed to do was speak and have a conversation in Urdu since I won't be using Urdu for any academic reasons at all. Then the difficulties mostly went away. It was an amazing journey and one I wouldn't mind doing all over again or add on to.

I want to be able to talk about food. My culture project is about food and I think it would be interesting to learn about the Urdu terms for food and phrases to talk about food in a certain way. I will be receiving help from my language Partner and the internet to achieve this. I feel like food is an essential part of our everyday life and I should know how to talk about it.

Food%20Culture%20in%20Pakistan.pptx

This week, I want to learn about the days and the months in Urdu. I want to be able to talk about a certain date when I talk to someone. I feel like it is an essential part of any conversation. I will be receiving help from my Language Partner and the internet to achieve this.

I think my learning plan worked very well. I only wish that I had found more resources and that I had found them earlier in the semester. However, the best way for me to learn is just to practice whenever I can, so signing while I was speaking English was what helped me the most. The grammar of ASL is different than English, but I always tried to keep that in the back of my mind while I was talking, so I did not get confused.

Watching videos is also incredibly helpful and one of the best ways to learn new signs and keep up with the ones that you already know. There are thousands of videos on the internet about both learning ASL and learning about deaf culture and they have been great to watch.

Watching videos produced by my religion has also been great, because the interpreters are incredible. Those videos have made it very easy to learn basic religious signs and signs that would be used both in daily life and in a religious context.

All in all, I liked my learning plan and I think I learned an appropriate amount during this semester.