The presentation of language through texts

The presentation of language through texts Presenting language through texts Texts have been used in language classrooms for many years. There are many reasons for teachers using texts. Firstly, they use texts as a linguistic objects. Secondly, they use texts as vehicle for information. And for the last reason, they use texts as a springboard for production. So texts in language teaching have played the important role in language learning and teaching. The most effective texts in learning process are authentic materials. Leaning English through authentic materials will make the learners feel like the are in the a real language situations. The atmosphere of the classrooms are alive. Research studies on the use of authentic materials reveal that it can promote the students motivation, positive attitude, involvement and interest on the subject. There are several kinds of authentic materials which are audio, visual, printed materials and multimedia materials. The multimedia materials are involved audio, video and graphic presentations. All of these materials are applied for communicating specific dispatches in real situations. Authentic audio materials: Music, news and other audio materials available on the internet TV programming including movies, commercials, quiz shows, cartoons, news and weather Radio including ads, music and sales pitches Taped or eavesdropped conversations, such as one-sided phone conversations Meetings, talks Announcements in airports and stores Professionally audio-taped short stories and novels Authentic visual materials: Images and graphs available on the internet photographs painting and drawings, childrens artwork wordless street signs pictures from magazines, postcards, wordless picture books stamps x-rays coins and currency clocks phones Halloween masks and other holiday decorations Authentic printed materials: web based printed materials available on the internet newspapers including articles, movies reviews and advertisements, astrology columns, sports reports, obituary columns, advice columns, classified ads reports, obituary columns, advice columns, classified ads lyrics to song restaurant menus street signs food product labels such as cereal boxes, candy wrappers tourist information brochures university catalogs telephone books maps magazines including TV guides, comic books, catalogs greeting cards, letters grocery coupons and flyer pins or t-shirt with messages bus schedules mail including bills , missing children flyers and junk mail flyers, posters, billboards school notices forms including leases, tax forms, applications, medical history forms Authentic multimedia materials: TV, Video programmes of various kinds podcasting on the internet we based programes involving multimedia use There are criteria for teachers to consider for choosing the authentic materials for classroom use. Firstly, the interest of the students, the teacher has to ensure that the chosen materials suit the age, interest and background of the students. Secondly, the purpose of language learning, teachers must consider the information in the chosen materials are of value to the learners. Thirdly, the cultural appropriateness, some materials are produced on the basis of the native speakers, the learners might not familiar with the culture of the contexts. Thus, the teachers should carefully select the appropriate second language contexts. Fourthly, the language level, the group of students are different levels like beginner, intermediate or advanced students .because the authentic materials are not made to fit the learning purposes so the teachers must choose the kind of comprehensible input which is slightly difficult in order to sustain their motivation. Lastly, the quality of the materials may be concerned. The chosen texts must have the quality of the text organization and the appropriate picture use. In the same time, the teachers must attentively check for errors and spelling mistakes of the texts. Using authentic materials have great benefits or advantages, specially for the second language learners of English. A large number of evidences of research studies have revealed a wide range of advantages. Firstly, the learners will expose to a wide range of natural language. Next, the reality and the meaningful interactive are brought into classroom. Then, there is a connection between the classroom and the outside world. The teaching and assessment focus on the 4 skills which the facts of language are not included. Moreover, the important objective is not a memorization for the examination but for the communicative proposes. For the next reason, the authentic texts can help the teachers accessing the ready, available, attractive and inexpensive resources of the texts as well as bring the variety to the classroom activities. So, the students have opportunities to practice the skills learnt in the classroom in the outside world when they meet them in the real situations. Using the authentic materials also have some problems. Some kinds of materials may include difficult language and unusual vocabulary items which are not being used in the daily life basis. These kinds of problems cause a burden to the teachers. So to solve the problems, the teachers should carefully pick the authentic materials by using the above mentioned criteria. For instance, the notices, bottled labels and reservation forms are used for the lower level learners. Whereas, the advanced levels need more complex materials. Thornbury claimed that language always happens as text and not as isolated words and sentences Therefore, the basis of foreign language teaching is handling texts for both written and oral. There are three acronyms that have been used to describe texts. Texts based activities presented in the course book Information Technology are marking the statements as true or false, filling in the gaps in the statements, linking each pair of actions ( donating cause and effect ) by a time clause, matching the terms in table A with the statements in table B, making a list of the key features of the facility ( device ) students are reading about, matching the reviews of the facilities to their titles, writing a brief evaluation of the phenomenon you have read about ( at least by listing its good and bad points ), trying to guess the meaning of the given abbreviations, trying to paraphrase the statements, linking each set of sentences to make one sentence ( corresponding to the descriptions given in the text ), completing the forms to record the main details of the problem described in the text, working in pairs, studying the diagram to explain how facility works, putting the described events in sequence, finding words or phrases in the table whi ch mean what is given in the statements below. From my experience as a teacher, I have been teaching young learners, mostly in the Phatom 1-3 students. And I have used several kinds of authentic materials in my class. For example, I use English songs and nursery rhymes when I would like to present new language to my students for promoting the motivation and engagement in learning of my students. Then, I use many pictures to present the new vocabulary in order to promote a better understanding of the meanings of the words. Sometimes, I have them read their favorable books from the bookshelf, so they can choose what ever they like.

The Existence of Happiness

The Existence of Happiness Happiness, the intangible emotion that we all desire. Is there proof that this emotion even exists? Eduardo Porter has written an essay titled â€Å"What Happiness Is†. In this essay Mr. Porter took the time to study the emotion of happiness that we all experience in life. He makes an attempt to question not only his reasons as to why he is happy, but to have the reader question their own sense of happiness as well. What is it that makes us feel joyful emotions, and how can vastly different experiences cause us to feel the same emotion that we call happiness?While searching for the proof of this feeling Eduardo Porter reflects upon his own personal experiences, professional studies and ultimately decides that his questions may never be answered. Porter states that, â€Å"most psychologists and economists who study happiness agree that what they prefer to call â€Å"subjective well-being† comprises three parts: satisfaction, meant to capture h ow people judge their lives measured up against their aspirations; positive feelings like joy; and the absence of negative feelings like anger. † This is an important analysis of how we form the idea of how joyful we actually are.Something in life that one person might be ashamed of could improve the level of cheerfulness for another person. For example, the thought of getting a tattoo might cause one individual to feel guilt while another individual might feel pleasure at the same thought. Because there is no definitive formula that provides a calculated experience of happiness for everyone, it is interesting to question what actions or lack thereof in our lives cause us to be cheerful or to lose some of the happiness that we have already gained.The organization of this essay was well thought out and effective. The author opens with the statement, â€Å"Happiness is a slippery concept, a bundle of meaning with no precise, stable definition. † This opening statement pro vokes the reader to question their own beliefs in what brings them joy and provides further interest in the topic due to the lack of confidence Porter portrays in finding answers. He then proceeds to share a few studies about happiness and his own idea of what makes him feel these emotions.He incorporates theories from well-known and educated thinkers about what makes humans happy. Sigmund Freud argued that humans, â€Å"strive after happiness; they want to become happy and to remain so. † Gandhi proposed that, â€Å"happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. † These analyses provide the reader with a starting point for questioning and answering those questions based on a professional thought process and breakdown of happiness. With these theories in mind the reader can look at their own life to help decide what actually makes them happy.Based on his professional study of this subject Porter also interjects his own reasoning for exp eriencing glee in life. Eduardo states that â€Å"Happiness relates directly to objective measures of people’s quality of life. † Porter believed that the more joy someone experienced in their life the better their life would be. Porter simplifies his writing so that the reader is able to assess their level of happiness from a loosely defined point of view, so that the average person has a means of tackling a difficult question.This is an important concept. The way Porter addresses happiness allows the reader to feel like they have the ability to ask the same questions about their own life and in doing so gain their own perspective into what it means for them to be happy. Throughout this essay Porter’s tone is of a pondering mindset regarding happiness, backed by personal experiences as well as professional study. This demonstrates that his interest level in what makes people feel positive emotion was strong enough to spend time to search for these answers.This had a positive influence on his readers; a large majority of individuals can relate to this topic and explore it for themselves. Most people strive for more happiness in their life, but fail to question what is actually making them or not making them happy in the first place. The essay makes you question if you have attempted to search for these answers in your own life. And if you are not happy – then why have you not questioned and searched for these answers?If you have asked these questions, why are you still feeling the same emotions that you wish to change, what changes have you not made? Porter also uses multiple economic reasons as a means of translating how much or how little happiness individuals can achieve. Along with many economists, Porter believes that in our modern time our search for more happiness co-exists with our desire and search for more money. We believe achieving a greater status in society, and receiving more money along with that level of status will make us truly happy.Our attempt in reaching these goals can have a negative effect, because the majority of people do not actually know what it is they want from life when this status is reached. Therefore, we as individuals may never achieve the level of joy we are searching for. After reading this essay you question what it is that you actually want out of life. If you do know, are you taking the right steps to achieve your goals? After reading Eduardo Porter’s take on why and what makes humans happy, many questions are left unanswered.Porter achieved his goal of interjecting multiple professional studies of what happiness is, as well as introducing his beliefs about this emotion as it relates to his life. This in turn makes his readers question their own emotional situations. What makes them happy? Most individuals would agree that the topic of this essay is, and has been, a pertinent question for as far back as we can remember. Porter knew that everyone at one point in t ime felt some form of happiness, and the actions that cause people to feel happy are completely different from one person to the next.Porter’s search for the definition and reason behind happiness are still unanswered questions, and most likely will remain this way, because it’s impossible to be universally define happiness. It’s also impossible to give just one reason as to why someone is happy or not. Joy is intangible; it is not measurable by a bank account or a status in society. Still we strive to feel it and achieve more of it, but we will never have a universal definition as to what this emotion actually is. We can only hope to increase its experience in our own lives.

The Great Depression Caused The Economic Crisis - 784 Words

During 1930s, the Great Depression caused the economic turmoil and had an impact on the unemployment, and the poverty among elderly. This created sense of insecurity over future among the citizen of the U.S. and government. There were several advocates, who passionately campaign for national pension plan such as Huey Long proposed Share our Health Plan, and Dr. Francis Townsend proposed the old age revolving plan. Although, Townsend proposal of providing $200/month to 60 years and older was a failure the popularity of Dr. Townsend plan pressurized the Roosevelt Administration to take action and deal with the issue of social insurance in America. Although the depression emphasized on the unemployment insurance and â€Å"old age† benefits, the health insurance was omitted from the priority among the Congressman and focused shifted on old-age pension. The law known as Social Security Act (SSA) was enacted on August 14th, 1935 to provide benefits such as unemployment compensation, old age pension, and services for the protection of children. In addition, McLaughlin and McLaughlin (2015) mentioned that the idea of the health insurance system was implemented during the Great Depression to enhance cash flow in the U.S. The employment-based health insurance and prepaid group practices were introduced after the Great Depression. The first organization to initiate employment-based insurance was the Baylor Hospital and the non-profit organization i.e. the Blue Cross began to offer privateShow MoreRelatedThe Great Depression Of The 1930s Essay1689 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal Crisis of 2008 in Comparison to the Great Depression of the 1930s Introduction The economic crisis’ of the 1930s and 2000s greatly impacted the United Sates (U.S) and the world. 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We willRead MoreThe Great Depression Of The 1930 S1476 Words   |  6 Pagesthe great depression of the 1930’s and the great recession in the United State of America. First, I’ll make a general overview of each of these two different periods and then focus on certain specific a spects during these different times. This will include the causes to the economic recessions witnessed, impacts of the economic recessions and the solutions that were introduced. When talking about any topic regarding American history, it would be hard not to mention the 1930’s great depression. Authors

Beowulf And Gilgamesh Essay - 1975 Words

Comparative English Essay Compare the Beowulf poets presentation of the battles with Grendel and his mother with the Gilgamesh poets depiction of Gilgamesh battles with Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven. Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and Gilgamesh, is to be a good warrior by being courageous, respectful and prudent, a protector and servant to their king (only in the beginning of Beowulf, as he later becomes king and Gilgamesh already is) and their country. In both poems the fights of the main†¦show more content†¦This was the place the guardian demon guardedÂ… (p. 25, line 12 ff.). Even though the forest is dangerous, still and full of shadows, it is inversely also described as beautiful and full of confusion and noise: There was the noise of swords, daggers and axes, confusions of noises in the Cedar forest. This is how nature is: wild, dangerous, unpredictable but also beautiful. And this is also how Huwawas home and therefore also himse lf is described. This image of Huwawa being representative for nature is straightened by Shamashs interfering to help Gilgamesh fighting Huwawa, Seven terrors are Huwawas garments. The aura of Huwawa is the terrors. Helpless is the one who enters the Cedar Forest wears the seven.(p.25, line 6ff.), by raising up thirteen storms to beat against the face of the aura of the demon Huwawa, beating their tempest feet off the earth wide open, splitting the mountains, (Â…) Gilgamesh was able to get at him (p.27, line 14ff.). As Huwawa then realizes that he is overwhelmed, he offers himself as a servant for Uruk, but Enkidu, who himself is a child of the wilderness, but now got civilized by Gilgamesh, insists on killing Huwawa. On the one side this is strange as Enkidu is also wild, like Huwawa, but Enkidu entered the social life of a civilized nation and adapted its standards. Huwawa is wild and cant protect a cultured nation; therefore he must die to let civilization win. The wood of the Cedar Forest that is used for new city gates also showsShow MoreRelatedBeowulf and Gilgamesh2014 Words   |  9 PagesEnglish Essay Compare the Beowulf poets presentation of the battles with Grendel and his mother with the Gilgamesh poets depiction of Gilgamesh battles with Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven. Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and Gilgamesh, is to be a good warrior byRead MoreBeowulf vs. Gilgamesh1212 Words   |  5 PagesBeowulf Vs. Gilgamesh The two cultures I chose to compare heroic values for are the ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Anglo-Saxon cultures. The texts I used in the comparison are Gilgamesh for Mesopotamia and Beowulf for Anglo-Saxon. Although they posses many similar heroic characteristics they also differ greatly. Beowulf is the earliest surviving epic poem written in a modern European language. It was written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem describes the adventuresRead MoreBeowulf And The Epic Of Gilgamesh1667 Words   |  7 Pagesknown epic poems of their time were Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Both Beowulf and Gilgamesh embody traits known exclusively of a hero. The poem of Beowulf and The Epic Gilgamesh both showcase the characteristics required of being an epic, in that they include a hero on a quest performing valorous deeds in an elevated style, while being protected by supernatural forces. The epic poem, Beowulf was based in the country of Denmark, while The Epic of Gilgamesh was based in a region of MesopotamiaRead MoreCompare Contrast Gilgamesh and Beowulf1426 Words   |  6 PagesComparison and Contrast Essay Final Draft: Gilgamesh vs. Beowulf The epics of Beowulf and Gilgamesh are about a pair of heroes who had many common characteristics as well as characteristics that contradict one another. Beowulf is a Christian epic that roots from the Anglo Saxon culture. Throughout the plot, there are numerous biblical allusions. â€Å"Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair ofRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, And Beowulf854 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh†, â€Å"Oedipus the King†, â€Å"The Odyssey†, and â€Å"Beowulf†, the readers notice how society defines each main character by their heroic characteristics, the relationship between the humans and the divine, and the differences of how each hero’s journey ends. Gilgamesh, Oedipus, Odysseus, and Beowulf display several characteristics classifying themselves as heroes. In the story of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is â€Å"two-thirds divine and one-third human† (Gilgamesh, par 2). He displaysRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, And Beowulf1962 Words   |  8 PagesIn this argument essay, it consists of three texts: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and Beowulf. During each of the characters journey, they face challenges such as fighting with monsters and with that they either develop a greater sense of mortality or a greater sense of identity. Mortality and identity are common themes in an epic that portrays the importance of character development from the effects of their heroic actions. Some epics result in mortality which means they know that they liveRead MoreGilgamesh, Beowulf As A Literary Hero1343 Words   |  6 Pagesmold his or her goals, decisions, and, ultimately, fate. Such figures, though imperfect, are celebrated beca use they are attainable, for perfection is too far beyond the inspirational grip of imagination for many. Each of these heroes, be they Gilgamesh, Beowulf, or Achilles, are motivated toward different goals and take a varied and unique path in order to achieve these goals, which are shaped by the social and political climates in which they are formed. However diverse these character arcs may beRead MoreEssay on The Epic of Gilgamesh versus The Epic of Beowulf1147 Words   |  5 PagesThe Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf contain everything we can expect from a great epic literature. It portrays fantastic geographies, exotic characters, exhausting quests, heroic battles with monsters, supernatural beings and natural forces. Most important of all, they are two outstanding stories of a great epic hero who is compelled to meet his destiny and who rises to every challenge with courage and determination. Beowulf is the earliest surviving epic poem written in a modern European languageRead MoreA Critical Appraisal of: Beowulf and Gilgamesh Essay examples1640 Words   |  7 PagesA Critical Appraisal of: Beowulf and Gilgamesh There are many differences and critical comparisons that can be drawn between the epics of Beowulf and Gilgamesh. Both are historical poems which shape their respected culture and both have major social, cultural, and political impacts on the development of western civilization literature and writing. Before any analysis is made, it is vital that some kind of a foundation be established so that a further, in-depth exploration of the complex natureRead MoreEssay on Infamy vs. Immortality: Beowulf and Gilgamesh611 Words   |  3 Pagescatastrophe, might, and courage are all aspects of the epic legends of Beowulf and Gilgamesh. Though they subsisted in two utterly different historical eras, these epic heroes have numerous similarities and differences. For example, while they were booth deemed epic heroes, their mortalities were not equal. Beowulf had superhuman qualities such as having the strength of thirty men, but was born a mortal man. On the contrary, Gilgamesh was a demigod as he was born two-thirds god and one-third human by