Studying English through America culture

      It began on August 3rd, the day when this ESL class started. Studying about America culture and their language are the main reasons why I chose this class. I had studied my major in the MBA program and realized that I needed to improve my English so I decided to take this class. After 10 weeks, my English has actually improved significantly. Studying any language is not just about vocabulary and grammar, it’s also important to learn about the culture and tradition.

Out front of National Museum of America History

Revolution House

      I’ve learned many things from this class. Specifically, going on field trips was most helpful to me. During the time, I have seen with my own eyes gorgeous architecture and real life activities. For instance, my class went to the America History Museum on the National Mall in Washington D.C and it was in the third week after class began. I saw a lot of stuff such as the Original America Flag, the Philadelphia Gunboat, the Revolution House, the First Lady Gowns, also lots of information about war history while I was walking around in the Museum. After this trip, I have much more knowledge about America that maybe I wouldn’t know otherwise. It clearly allowed me to visualize where the American way came from. 

Viet Nam - America War

Viet Nam - America War

Philadelphia Gunboat

Hillary Clinton Gown 

The Star Spangled Banner

     Somehow, I couldn’t completely understand the meaning of idioms and word phrases on my own but with the teacher’s help it’s no longer a problem. Some common idioms have been given and discussed among the class like “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place” which means you can’t choose between two difficult things or word phrases like “to strike a chord” – to say something that people are happy to hear, “at the push of a button” – it’s automatic, and etc… They have been using a lot on news and communication sometimes so learning them is a big step to understand America culture.

     Another interesting thing that I like is Ted Talk. It helped my listening by showing different kind of voices and from inspiring people who are really good at presenting. After that we had chances to discuss, sometimes we argued with many different opinions. One of the videos that we argued about the most is the animal rights through the “Chimps have feelings and thoughts. They should have rights” by Steven Wise. By discussing and arguing like that I and my class mates practiced a lot of speaking English to each other and were more comfortable with American way. That is something you can’t find it anywhere. Here is the video: 

     
     In conclusion, studying culture and tradition in this class have contributed a huge helpfulness to me. In fact, my English has been improved more than I ever expected by going on field trips, discussing idioms and arguing with my own opinions to other students. The good thing about the class is that we have been practicing in American way everyday since the day it started.

My English Class

     Have you ever thought about studying in the ESL program at Stratford University. In my class, we read the Newspaper everyday, go on trips every week, and practice critical thinking all the time. 

  

    First reading Newspaper enriched my vocabulary. For example, the word sanction which means

a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule. I knew this word when we read the article in the Newspaper.  And, the word bottleneck which means moving from wide to narrow. I knew this word when we spoke about the traffic in the DC. In addition, reading Newspaper informed us of events. For instance, Pope visited and that helped us to be aware about the crowded in Washington DC. As a result we didn’t go trip when the Pope visited. Moreover, reading Newspaper improved my reading skills. When I started my class my skills in reading were slow. But know my reading is faster than before. Our teacher wrote some questions in the bored and we had to find the answers from Newspaper.Then he reviewed the answer with us.

Collection of links

Good Morning students,

Here are some links to help you with background for your projects :

Detroit

New Orleans

Your presentations should be posted to the blog by Monday morning, 9am.

TED Talk - Barry Schwartz: The way we think about work is broken

US Library of Congress

 Tomorrow, September 16th, we're going to visit the Library of Congress.  It is located at 101 Independence Ave SE, across the street from the US Capitol building.  It opens at 8:30a.m. and closes at 5p.m.  The closest Metro station is Capitol South on the Orange or Blue lines.  When you exit the metro station, walk 2 blocks to the north on 1st street.
     We can take a free guided tour around the building which starts every hour, at the half hour and lasts about 1 hour.  We're looking forward to it because there are a lot of interesting things to learn there.  See you tomorrow! 

Field Trip to the National Botanic Garden

Tomorrow, Thursday, September 9th, we are going to visit the National Botanic Garden located on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol Building on the corner of 3rd St. SW and Independence Ave SW.  The closest metro stop is Federal Center on the Blue, Silver, or Orange lines. 
 

    

We will be making a short video in 2 teams, Dalal and Kelvin will work together on Team 1 ; Huy and Ahmed on Team 2.  Each team will be responsible for producing a voice over on Friday.  See you tomorrow!

Sharing knowledge

     Yesterday, we had a meeting with all students in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Information Technology (IT). We talked about happiness and goals.  There were a lot of  international students and professors.  Also, some of  the students shared their experiences, and knowledge while the others were listening.  The professors were active in the discussion. Also, we had our pictures taken while we were talking and smiling.  We also had snacks together. I think it was useful because we shared our experiences, practiced English, made friends. It influenced us to know each other and speak and listen to different accents. Also It encouraged shy students to talk.
      Finally, I have some recommendations to improve the meeting.  We should  let the students share in choosing the topic for the discussion. Ask each  student  to write a question and ask the group about their opinions. We should  try to make the meeting informal, and we can start with a story or something funny to let students feel relaxed in the meeting. We should mention the goal of this meeting and explain the benefits.  If any international students want to bring their  food or coffee, we can talk about it. In addition, we should organize the seats to let each one see the others.

Do you have any recommendations to improve the meeting?

  

New Orleans 10 Years After Hurricane Katrina

I've read a news about New Orleans "Ten Years after Katrina, New Orleans Is a Different City". In 2005, one-thousand-eight hundred people are believed to have died because of Katrina. Federal Emergency Management Agency were blamed on the problems after the storm lack of coordination between politicians, relief organizations, the military.

Now New Orleans is a different city after was struck by the Katrina 10 years ago. The city has recovered and changed. President Barack Obama has visited New Orleans. The city’s demographics (the statistical data of a population) also have changed. New Orleans used to be a old city 10 years ago, but now it is a younger city than it was before. Much of the city’s housing that were destroyed by the Katrina has been rebuilt, the city has built more bridges, roads and improved  schools...Businesses, trade and visitors have returned to New Orleans. Now they have more jobs for people with an education or valuable skills. New industries and investment in small, start-up technology companies are growing. They have almost 500 restaurants and they had 9.3 million visitors last year.

But there still some problems, the rising cost of living has flipped some of the city's neighborhoods. African-Americans who have returned have been less likely to share in the abundance (the good things of life, prosperity). White people are displacing black people who were here before.

Field Trip to Busboys and Poets

Tomorrow, the 2nd of September, we're going to visit Busboys and Poets.  Busboys and Poets is the name of a world-famous restaurant which is located at 2021 14th St, NW Washington, D.C. 20009.  

We will meet at the U St Metro Station at 10a.m. and walk to the coffee shop from there.  We'll have coffee and conversation, so save your appetite!  See you there!

Kandula The Elephant

 

 

     Kandula, the Asian elephant, was born in Smithsonian's National Zoo. He will be 14 years old this November and it says that he weighs approximately 7200 pounds. On this week's field trip, we didn't have a chance to meet him in the zoo because they have been teaching him to stay in the container which they will use to move him to Oklahoma City Zoo this year. It's unusual for him to do it so he has been scared of it.

    

     Male elephants usually become independent and separate from their group when they are mature. It said Kandula is mature now so that is the reason why the zoo will transfer him to another zoo with an environment for Asian elephants. They said it's good for him to have a chance to meet unfamiliar females which could be his partner in the future. Also, the National zoo wants to get an unrelated male elephant to replace Kandula that is able to breed with his aunt Maharani. The Smithsonian staff will go along on the trip and stay there as long as possible to help him settle down and get used to new things like new staff and facility. The zoo will announce when they will begin to do it and let people have a chance to say goodbye to their favorite animal.

     

      Do you love elephants? Will you be there to say goodbye to him?

The National Postal Museum

Two days ago I had a field trip at the National Postal Museum. There were a lot of interesting things that I'm going to share with you guys today.

First of all, I saw a stamp room with a lot of different stamp. There were three machines for you to choose the stamps you like and you can also see that stamp's information. And the other two interesting machines that you can take your picture to make your own stamp.

 

After that I used the elevator to went down to the first floor. I saw the airplanes, the train and the cars that were used to transport the mail.

Then I used the souvenir pennies machine and I've made a penny by cranking the wheel.





It was a great field trip and I've learned a lot about the National Postal.

Field trip to the National Zoo

     Tomorrow, Wednesday, 26 August, we are going to visit the National Zoo.  The zoo is located at 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008 and is open from 10a.m. to 6p.m.  

     We will meet at Cleveland Park Metro Station at 10a.m.  To get there you should take the Red Line towards Shady Grove.  We will meet at the top of the escalator and walk to the zoo.  We hope to see the pandas, so bring your camera.  

     

World War I Memorial Design Proposals

     This week, I'm interested in an article about the National World War One Memorial design in Washington. The Memorial will be built in Pershing Park, which was opened in 1981 on Pennsylvania Avenue and currently includes a memorial to John J.Pershing. Pershing was the first commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Force in World War One. According to the Express, there are five design finalists for the Memorial.

• The first design is called " Plaza to the Forgotten War", by Architects of Schemaling. It uses a series of  pylons with text and images to visually remind visitors of WWI veterans.

• The second one is "Heroes' Green", by Maria Counts. It uses a dense, forested park with images set into the landscape and a garden of trees.

• The third one is "World War One Memorial", by Kimmel Studio. It appears to be more traditional,  including an oval memorial space centered in a trapezoidal park.

• "An American Family Portrait Wall in the Park", by STL Architects, is the fourth design.  The designers wanted to show the full scale of the war by embedding or inserting photographs on the ground in the park.

• The final design is "The Weight of Sacrifice", by Joseph Weishaar. This one uses images of a timeline of major events in the war on a wall.

Look at some pictures below :

Which one is the most appropriate in your opinion?

Our review of Yelp

     Every time I write a post it is usually about a trip we went on, a ted talk we watched, or a story from the news. I usually like these stories but I have never posted something about our discussions in class. We as a group of students and our teacher discuss over twenty different subjects weekly. I believe that is one of the most important reasons for ESL students for several reasons. First, it gives us the opportunity to learn different vocabularies from a lot of subjects. Second, it introduces us to the American culture faster than any other way. Third, even though it is only an ESL class, we actually learn things that other students may not have the opportunity to learn. For instance, we learn about politics, sports, health, psychology, food, education, culture, history, etc. Last but not least, we have the opportunity to share ideas with each other including our teacher. Sometimes the teacher introduces us to things we do not know about and sometimes it is the opposite.

     This week we had an interesting discussion about websites and companies that rate restaurants, bars, lounges, etc. Nowadays, there are thousands of them that rate and let customers rate but which one should we trust is the question. Which website is more accurate than the other? Which website will have the truth? Should we go with Google, TripAdvisor, or Yelp? From my point of view, choosing which one to take sources from depends on who posted the review. Was it someone who is out of town and he or she is used to certain type of food and service? Or was it a local person who believes that the bar down the street has a rude bartender? Deciding where to take reliable information from can be very difficult. Any how, after a long discussion in class we sort of agreed that Yelp could be the best website to take information from. 

     Yelp could be the best website for many reasons. First, if you are not an active poster on Yelp your comment will not be recommended and it will not appear. Second, what makes Yelp more accurate is that the comment cannot be removed by the business owner even if they contact Yelp. Third, Yelp still protects you somehow in a good way. If another business owner makes a bad comment about your business only to hurt your reputation, Yelp will remove his/her comment and terminate him/her as a user. Fourth, Yelp shows you the hours for the place, whether it is good for groups or not, good for children or not, where to park, whether they take reservations or not, and how expensive the place is. Last, the amount of local users for Yelp are more than any other website which makes it more accurate.

     Would you want to take advice from a person who went there once or from a local who always posts and can be trusted? Do you know of any other sites like Yelp?                          

Eating alone

       

                      

     

     Eating alone has became a fact of American life.  According to a new report by the industry trade association the Food Marketing Institute, half of all meals and snacks are eaten in solitude. In 1999 a survey found an increase in the number of people who ate alone, that tripled between the 1960s and 1990s. Also, according to the American Time Use Survey, 60% of Americans eat alone.  Every meal has become more solitary but,  breakfast is the most solitary, with 53% of respondents saying they have eaten breakfast alone.
I think the reasons for that are:

1- People are strapped for time, which means they don't have enough time.

2- People are strapped for money.

3- The increase in single/unmarried people causes people to eat alone.

4- The relationship within families has become weak.

5- Technology affects the personalty of people.

Do you eat alone?  When was the last time you ate by yourself? You can reply in the comment section. 

How to control someone else's arm with your brain

I watched a very exciting video about "How to control someone else's arm with your brain" by Greg Gage on TED. The video talked that the brain is an amazing and complex organ. 

Even though many people are fascinated by the brain, but they can't tell you much about how your brain works because they haven't been taught about neuroscience in school. The reasons are the equipment is so complex and so expensive and it's really only done at major universities and large institutions. That's a shame because one out of five of us, that's 20 percent of the entire world, will have a neurological disorder. And there are zero cures for these diseases.

Greg Gage said that when he was a graduate student, he and his lab mate Tim Marzullo decided to took this complex equipment that they have for studying the brain and made it simple enough and affordable enough that anyone could learn and actually participate in the discovery of neuroscience.

Then he did an experiment that he recorded a volunteer's brain while she control her arm by a equipment that he and his lab mate have invented called DIY neuroscience equipment.

After that he used the machine to connect the first volunteer's brain with the second volunteer's arm. Then while the first volunteer's brain control her arm, the second volunteer's arm was moving as same as the first volunteer's arm. 

I think it was amazing project and that means in the future your brain will control every things you want to.

Field Trip to National Postal Museum

Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19th, 2015, Stratford ESL is going to visit the National Postal Museum.  The Postal Museum is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 opposite Union Station Metro. We will meet at 10 a.m. at the Metro Station and then walk across the street to visit the museum. 





Here are some questions that can be answered in the museum.  How many are you able to answer?

1. For how much was the Hope Diamond insured when it was mailed to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958?
2. In September 1918, the U.S. Post Office sent two pilots on a path finding flight between which two U.S. cities in an effort to expand the country's airmail service? 
3. A popular style of stagecoach was used in the late 1800s throughout the American west to carry passengers and mail between towns. From which New England town did these stagecoaches take their name?
4. This actor portrayed the character "Cliff Claven," the know-it-all mailman for 11 years on the television series "Cheers." 
5. The tunnel-shaped mailbox is a common sight on America's rural roads. What year was it designed? 
6. As train traffic began to slow, Highway Post Office Service was inaugurated in 1941 to replace portions of the Railway Mail Service. When did Highway Post Office Service end?
7. Dog sleds were used to carry mail in Alaska throughout the 19th century and into the 20th. What mode of transportation eventually replaced most of the sleds? 
8. Rural Free Delivery Service began as an experimental service in West Virginia. The service became very popular, and was soon in great demand. By 1906, how many miles of American roads were covered by Rural Free Delivery Service? 
9. V-mail was the name given to a process of reproducing miniaturized messages by microphotography from 16mm film during World War II. The system of microfilming letters was based on the use of special V-mail letter-sheets, which were a combination of letter and envelope. The letter-sheets were constructed and gummed so as to fold into a uniform and distinctively marked envelope. Why were they used during the war?
10. In the 20th century, postal vehicles were first painted olive drab, then in the 1950s, red, white and blue. In what decade did they begin to be painted almost all white? 

Check your answers here.

America Houses History

Hi, I'm Phu. This week we went to the America History Museum. And I would like to share with you guys about my experiences and interests of this Wednesday field trip. There are many things that I want to share but I'm just going to talk about the history of America Houses since 200 years ago called " Within These Walls".

The house on Elm Street, Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1963

The Choates' House

Revolutionaries' Home, Slave's Home

The house from the picture was built in 1760s and was taken apart and brought to the Museum by Smithsonian in 1963. So why is this house in the Museum? The reason is that it's an example of New England building practices and they wanted to save 200 years of American family stories and history.

A Reformer's Parlor

The Patriotic Kitchen

The very first family that lived there was the Choates' in 1757 - 1772. A room in the house was made to display the Choates' kitchen. After that another owner, the Dodge family, came in 1777 - 1789. It's was called the Revolutionaries' Home and the Slave's Home because Chance, Dodges' African American slave, probably lived in this white household before slavery was declared  unconstitutional in 1783. Another room was made  to display the Caldwell family's (1836 - 1865) parlor. It was the center for antislavery activity in the community and also the center of the family's religious and social life for middle class people in the mid 1800s. In 1941 - 1945, the Scott family began renting there and about that time electricity reached the house in the 1920s.Then Roy Scott installed the first toilet in the 1940s. One room was made to display the patriotic kitchen, Mary Scott's mission was to help the war by producing and conserving food and saving tin cans, foil, and leftover fat for recycling into war material on the home front during World War II. These pictures, which I took in the museum, represent each family.

American Flag Historical Facts

     This week we went to the National Museum of American History in Washington DC.  In front of the building there were two letters. One letter was written by James Smithson who dedicated his money to education.  In the Museum, I saw the history of American flag.  It had thirteen stars which represent the states and the thirteen  stripes which represent the original 13 colonies.  I think  the American flag is  the symbol of American  nation’s strength and unity.  Also, I listened to the song for the flag and I saw a lot of pictures that show how they worked hard together to make the flags in a good shape. Also, I saw the picture for the woman who made it and I saw her house. I found the Star-Spangled Banner was the inspiration for the American national anthem.  In the history of the flag are the contributions of  two women  Betsy Ross and Mary Young Pickersgill.  Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red stripes alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic. The  red color symbolizes hardiness, the white color  symbolizes chastity and, the blue color  represents justice.  

National Museum Of American History

Today we're visiting the National Museum of American History located at 14th St and Constitution Ave, NW Washington, DC 20001

For our previous post about this museum, click here

On the front of the building there are two letters.
Who wrote these letters? Why?

Here are some questions for discussion on Thursday.

• What does it mean to be American? The museum houses the original Star-Spangled Banner from the War of 1812, which was the inspiration for our national anthem; many people consider this the quintessential symbol of America. What five other objects best symbolize America to you?

• What is the essence of citizenship? What objects represent what citizenship means in American history?

• Consider costumes. How does what we wear represent who we are? Find intriguing characters in the museum and explain what their clothes say about them, or find intriguing clothes and costumes and explain what they say about their wearer or their time.

• Is there an "immigrant experience"? Find examples of immigration stories and explore what makes them similar or different.

• What does "the American dream" mean to you? What objects in the museum represent that dream? What objects represent the American dream denied or deferred?

• What is justice? What objects represent justice, or the denial of justice, to you?

Native Americans

Transportation in DC

The most common religions in the United States.

The National Archives

Today we're going to visit the National Archives

700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC








Here are some questions to be answered -

1. Which 3 documents can be viewed in the Rotunda?

2. What is depicted in the murals?

3. Each Public Vault has a theme. What are they?

National Building Museum Field Trip

Today we are going to visit the National Building Museum, in downtown Washington, D.C.  The museum is located at 401 F St. NW, right across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro station.






Here are some questions for discussion :

1. What does Symbolism mean in the context of architecture? 
2. What style(s) of architechture is/are most common in Washington D.C.?
3. Do you recognize any styles of architecture from your country? Which one(s)?

Week of June 29 - July 3 Quiz

1- What does the phrase "do's and don'ts" mean?

2- How did U.S. airline carriers work to keep airfares high?

3- Who are the Millennials?

4- Use "lap" as a verb in a sentence.

5- The amount of money tourists spent in D.C in 2014 was:
       A)  7 M $
       B)  7 B $
       C)  70 M $

6- Which 2 areas received the most charitable donations from Americans ?

7- How does the American government encourage charity?

8- What is the main cause of most car accidents?

9- Why is the driver less car an important technology?

10- What kind of power did the longest ever solo flight use?

Post your answers in the comment section!

Peru Pachamama

Last Wednesday, we went to the Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC. Ahmed and our teacher met each other near Q'eswachaka Bridge. After that, they had a hard time to finding Zoe and Anna. But finally, we all met near the Concert Stage.

The first place we visited was the Cusco Textiles. We learned how the people weave their textile products. 
 

And then, we moved to Wachiperi Communities to see how they made traditional crafts, heard their creation myths, and learned a few words in Wachiperi.









 After that we went to the Tradiciones Carumenas where the Danza Sarawja is preformed. The Sarawja is when dancers preform circles around men playing, singing, and dancing Zapateado ( footwork) and the women sing while twirling in a circle. 

 Beside that, we found the Urban Art and Music exhibit which showed the artists using silk screening to paint. In addition, we saw street art and a decorated mtootaxi.

And finally, we went to the El  Fogon Kitchen which had a variety of traditional food and beverages. We tried the Charcoal Chicken  and choclo (corn on the cob) which was very delicious.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Field Trip

 

Tomorrow, the 1st of July, we are going to the Smithsonian Folklife festival about Peru at the National Mall. We will meet at the Smithsonian metro station at 10:30 A.M. The Metro Station is located on the blue, orange, and silver lines. We will meet at the exit of station on the Castle side.

     The first thing we want to see in the festival is the Cusco cooking demonstration which will be at the (El Fogon) exhibit. The Cusco cooking, which will start at 11 a.m,  will show a variety of Peruvian food, such as Pollo a la brasa, Pan con pescado, and a lot more. The Cusco cooking will not only provide food but also beverages and Gelato will be available. After that we are planning to see some street art that will be shown by two artists that will discuss the urban and Chicha arts. We also hope to learn about some Peruvian traditions that passed on through the years.     

- Ahmed - Anna - Matrf - Sahar - Zoe -

Butterfly Event

Hi friends,

If you like watching your garden flutter or want to learn more about butterflies, come celebrate pollinators at the United States Botanic Garden this Friday Jun, 19 2015.
During this special event Join Jim Willmott and Dr. Ari Novy as they share the wonders of what butterflies, bumblebees and honeybees bring to the environment followed by the release of butterflies into National Butterfly Garden.
This program will be offered twice, at 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. It is held outdoors .

You can get there by :
- Driving :  the address is  100 Maryland Ave. SW Washington, DC 20002

   Parking:  Parking spaces are available within a few blocks of the U.S. Botanic Garden. A limited        number of accessible spaces are available in front of the Conservatory on Maryland Avenue SW.

-Using Metro : by taking either the Orange or Blue line to the Federal Center SW station. Exit the station, walk left along Third Street SW for two blocks, cross Independence Avenue and continue one more block to Maryland Ave.

I choose this event because I love watching butterflies and a big fan of the Botanic Garden campus also the event is free, so please join us .

Thing to do this weekend: Global tour: Travel and works on paper

  There are a lot of activities in DC this weekend. I'm going to the Talk and Exhibit Event called "Global tour: Travel and works on paper". It's opening this Saturday at the University of California Washington Center at 1608 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington DC from 10 am to 11 am.
    Artist Sidney Lawrence will lead a tour of his 30 piece exhibition. This event will be organized at the Alcove Gallery of  the University. You could go there by car or by public transportation. They will have parking inside the University if you drive your car. Or you could take Metro, take the red line to Farragut North Metro Station. Exit the station and then turn right to Rhode Island Ave, you will see The University of California Washington on the right side.
   If you don't have any plans to do this weekend, why you don't try to do this? We just only have 1 hour to listen all information that the Artist try to give us.  So you should be there on time. It's going to be a wonderful weekend. See you there!

Field Trip to the National Portrait Gallery

 

Good Morning Students! Today we are going to the National Portrait Gallery located near the the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop on the Red Line.  

Here are a few articles from the collection that we can find and identify...

Team 1 - Find these 3 portraits and identify - Subject - Artist - Location - for each portrait. 

Team 2 - Find these 3 Portraits and Identify - Subject - Artist - Location - for each portrait.

When each team has found their portraits, we can meet in the Kogod Courtyard to compare notes.