MLS Economics, Class June 30

 Class Objective: Discuss the meaning of "monopolies" and describing if these are good or not.

*The speaker mentioned monopolies in the audio introduction.  If you are unfamiliar with the term, a monopoly refers to a business that has no competition in its industry.  In other words, there is one business that controls that specific industry, and there are no other businesses attempting to rival this.

Warm-up discussion:

1. Can you think of examples of monopolies in different industries?  What are they?

2. Do you think monopolies are good things, or do you believe that in business there should be competition?  

Class Assignment: What kind of business would you like to run?  Imagine you are an entrepreneur and you are starting a business.  What industry will it be in?  What will your market be?  What will attract people to your business?   Who will your competition be?  How will you be better than them?  Or, do you think your business will be a monopoly?  

Vocabulary: 

1.       Autarky = economic independence/self-sufficiency

 

2.      To be stuck with something = something you can’t get rid of even if you want to

 

(I really hate my spouse, but I am stick with him/her, so what can I do?)

 

3.      Privilege = If your family is royalty, very often it’s a life of privilege

 

4.      Exclusive = a place or thing that is specifically for someone or something

 

(VIP boxes are exclusive to celebrities).

 

5.      Manipulate = to control someone’s thoughts or ideas/to make someone do what you want them to do

 

6.      De facto = unofficial but true

*In many people’s opinions, MBS is the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. 

 

7.      Laughable = something you thought was funny

 

8.      Planned obsolescence = a company’s policy of making something go bad eventually so you buy a new one

 

9.      Complacent = satisfied and not trying to get better

 

 

Discussion questions:

1.      Do you ever get complacent?  Is there something you should try and improve, but you are happy the way it is?

2.      What do you think is laughable?

3.      How do you manipulate people?  How do people try and manipulate you? 

4.      What are exclusive places you know?

5.      What is something you are stuck with?

SSP Hong Kong, Grammar and Vocabulary

 

I’m teaching a class at the moment.  I’m teaching a class right now.

 

*What are you doing at the moment?

>>I’m sitting in a chair at the moment. 

>>I’m thinking at the moment.

>>I’m thinking about the final exam at the moment.

 

*What are you doing nowadays?

>>I’m taking classes at ELS nowadays.

>>I’m running and swimming a lot nowadays.

>>I’m reading and writing nowadays.

>>I’m studying nowadays.

 

Hey Billy!

Hey Ahmad!

How are you doing?

I’m all right.  How about you?

Not bad.  So, what are you doing these days?

I’m taking classes at ELS Philly with Mr. Nate.

Really?  What classes are you taking?

I’m taking SSP and Reading and Writing and Discussions A-Z and computers class.  Computers class is my favorite.  What about you?

I’m working in Philly.  I am working for an organization downtown.

Oh, interesting.  Who are you working for?

 

Vocabulary:

I catch my bus at 7:30.  I catch a train every morning. 

We need to set aside some money to save up for our vacation.

I am going to shop for groceries after work.

I get off work at 3:45. 

The toughest thing for me with English is spelling.

*Do you have to catch a bus every day?

*What do you set aside money for?

*Where do you get groceries? 

*When do you get off work usually?

*What is the toughest part of being away from your country?

 

Vocabulary:

*entrepreneur: someone starts his/her own business.

*profit: if the company makes more money than it spends

*reputation: what people say about you

*conventional: the typical or normal way to do something

*unconventional: not the typical or normal way to do something

*effective: it works

*ineffective: it doesn’t work

*rested: a person who gets enough sleep

 

 

 

1.      Do you want to be an entrepreneur?  What type of business do you want to run?

 

2.      What place has a good reputation?  What place has a bad reputation?

 

3.      Do you like to do things in a conventional or an unconventional way?

 

4.      What is an effective way to learn anything?

Reading and Writing, Chichen Itza, Sentence Structure

For dinner, I will either eat Italian food or Mexican food.  (one choice or the other). 

 My friend doesn’t like this place.  I don’t like it either.  (also)

 My wife wants spaghetti for dinner.  I want that as well. 

 You speak English as well as a native speaker. 

 As long as I am here, I will teach you (the time I a here)

 I will explain things as long as I am your teacher. 

 I will study English as long as I am in Philadelphia.

 As soon as you get this message, please call me back (the first second you get the message, call me back)

 As soon as you arrive, we will start the test (the first second you arrive, we will start the test)

 

 Simple Sentence:

I am a teacher.  I work at ELS.  I have a good class.  Nobody talks in class.  I read about a man.  His name is Michael Mosley.  He is from the UK.  He went missing in Greece.  He was on vacation.  They found his body.  He is dead. 

 

Compound Sentence:

I am a teacher, and I work at ELS.  I have a good class, so I am happy.  Nobody talks in class, and I think this is strange. 

 

Complex Sentence:

When I am in SSP class, nobody talks.  It is strange to me.  If you don’t want to study English, it’s OK with me.  You don’t have to come here. 

After I finish my class, I go home. 

Before I go home, I go to the gas station.

When I get home, I do work there.

If I go home, I will relax. 

My name is Nate.  I am a teacher.  I like Italian food.  I like lasagna.  I like it with salad.  I eat it at the restaurant.  I cook it at home.

My name is Nate, and I am a teacher.  I like Italian food, and I really like lasagna.  When I eat Lasagna, I have a salad.  I eat it at the restaurant, but I also make it at home.

 

I like Italian food, so I eat it every week. 

When I go to an Italian restaurant, I eat Lasagna. 

I like Tiramisu, so I eat it for dessert. 

 

Questions: 

*What do people in your country do when someone goes missing? 

*What do you think about computers class at ELS?

Reading and Writing, Chichen Itza, Sentence Structure

 

Sentence Structure:

*My name is Nate.  I am a teacher.  I work at ELS. 

*Nate and Ryan teach English at ELS.

*Nate speaks English and some Arabic.

Compound Sentence:

*My name is Nate, and I am a teacher.

*I work at ELS, but I am not happy.

*I work at ELS, so I am happy.

*Tonight, I will eat pizza, or I will eat a sandwich.

Complex Sentence:

*If you study hard, your English will get better.

*If you lie to me again, I won’t talk to you anymore.

*After I get home from classes, I go to the gym. 

*After I finish classes, I will go swimming.

*Before we finish class, we must practice writing. 

*When I study, I use many websites to help. 

*Your English will get better if you study hard.

*I won’t talk to you anymore if you lie to me again.

*I use many websites to help me when I study.

 

 

Welcome to Dammam.  It is nice.  The food is good.  The people are friendly.  The weather is hot.  You should wear soft clothing.  The sea is there.  The seafood is good.

 

Welcome to Dammam!  It is a wonderful city, and you will have a great time there.  The weather is hot, so you should bring loose clothing.  When you are there, eat at one of the seafood restaurants.  Dammam is next to the Arabian Gulf, so it has excellent places to enjoy many types of fish.

 

When I drink coffee, I concentrate better.

If I pass the test on Thursday, I will go to level 4. 

Before I finish the class, I will practice writing sentences.

 

*Do you think it is necessary to live in a big city to accomplish your goals?

Saudi Arabia has urbanized itself a lot in the past.  Is it better to live in the big city or stay in the village now?

Reading and Writing, Chichen Itza, Writing Assignment #2

Choose one of the topics for the writing assignment:

*Today, imagine you are at your favorite restaurant.  Give a person advice of food to eat, things to drink from the menu.

*A person wants to start a business.  Give advice for them.  What should they do?

SSP Hong Kong, Simple Present vs. Present Progressive Lesson

 Grammar: 

Every day, I teach classes at ELS.  (a routine) 

Right now, I am teaching classes at ELS (right now)

Usually, I spend the summers on vacation, but this summer I am taking classes at ELS Philadelphia. 

I take classes at ELS every summer.

Muslims celebrate Eid Al Adha every year.  We are celebrating Eid Al Adha this week. 

 Every year, I take classes in the United States. 

This year, I am taking classes in the United States. 

 I don’t study every day. 

I am not studying today. 

 

I am studying in the USA.  My brother is not studying here with me.  

 I study in the USA every year, but my sister doesn’t study with me. 

 

Questions for discussion:

*What are you doing this summer? 

*What are you doing this week?

*What is your family doing right now?

*What are you not doing in your life right now?

>>My father is working.  My mother is staying here with me…..

 Grammar Activity: 

Hi!  My name is Nate, and I usually (teach) teach during the summer, but this summer, I (not teach) am not teaching.  I (take)  am taking a vacation.  I am (travel) traveling to Asia.  It is going to be a fun vacation.

Vocabulary:

Nate: Ahmad, what’s wrong?

Ahmad: Well, to be honest, I’m in a pickle right now.

Nate: Oh, really, why?

Ahmad: The bank in the USA didn’t get the money from Saudi Arabia, so I must leave early to solve this problem. 

 

*When are you in a pickle?

*Who or what is wacky?

*Where do you like to hang loose?

*When were you toast?

*What do you want to put in a 72-hour emergency kit

SSP Hong Kong, Unit 4, Activities

 Class: SSP Hong Kong

Class Objective: Use present progressive to describe activities

Date: June 7, 2024

Warm-Up Activity: We will begin Unit 4, Activities. Students will make a list of their favorite activities.

Students will share these with one another.

Question for discussion: What are popular activities in your country?

We will watch the video “A Day in the Life of a College Student.” We will answer the questions on P.46.

Question for discussion: What is the life of a college student like in your country?

MBA = Master’s in Business Administration

*I’ll get an MBA. 

 

Person: Ahmad, what are you doing?

Ahmad: I’m getting a Master’s in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s or Widener/I’m getting an MBA from St. Joseph’s or Widener.

 

Make a list of your activities

1.      Running

2.      Swimming

3.      Making videos

4.      Makes Nate’s classes

5.      Playing piano

6.      Cooking

7.      Drawing

8.      Writing

9.      Making stories

10.  Reading

11.  Sleeping in class

12.  Wasting money

13.  Eating and drinking

 

Use simple present vs. present progressive

Hi, my name is Nate, and I (work) work as a teacher at ELS in Philadelphia.  This month, I (teach) am teaching only four students in my SSP class because it is the summer months, so only a few students (take) are taking classes right now. 

Besides teaching, I (have) have many other activities.  I (do) do artwork.  I (design) design postcards, and I (sell) sell them at different events.  I also (play) play piano and (write) write my own songs. 

I (play) play sports as well.  I (run) run  (swim) swim, and I (play) play softball.

Right now, I (teach) am teaching my class at ELS, so I will talk to you later.  Bye!  See you!  Yeahhhhhhhhhhh!  Freedom at last!

 

Use simple past vs. Past Progressive

Last night, I (go) went home at around 5 PM, and I (swim) swam in the pool.  Then, I (make) made myself some coffee.  While I (drink) was drinking my coffee, I (work) worked on some artwork.   Then, I (go) went to a local track, and I (run) ran for 3 miles.  While I (run) was running, I (think) thought/was thinking about many different things.  At night, someone (call) called me, but I (not pick up) didn’t pick up the phone because I (sleep) was sleeping, so I (not hear) didn’t hear  the phone.

 

Discussion Questions:

1.      What activities do you do every day?

 

2.      What are you doing this month you usually don’t do?

 

3.      What activities did you do yesterday?

 

4.      What were you doing at 10 PM last night?

 

What are your activities?

Film and Discussion, Words on Bathroom Walls Class

 Class: Film and Discussion

Class Objective: Share ideas about organization for (mentally) handicapped people with the class

Date: June 7, 2024

Warm-up Activity: Students gather in pairs and come up with an organization/program for people with

special needs, especially related to mental illness (10-15 min.)

Students share/present their ideas to the class (10-15 min.)

Students finish watching the movie, Words on Bathroom Walls (20-25 min.)

Reading and Writing, Chichen Itza, Thursday Class

Lesson Plan for Reading and Writing, Chichen Itza

Class Objective: Student gives directions on how to start a popular website/using imperatives and should modals to give advice

Teacher: Nate Feldman

Warm-up activity: Student writes about how to create a website. 

Review Present Progressive verb-tense with the student.

Show a picture of something to a student.  Ask the student to describe the picture using present progressive verb-tense (i.e. the person in the picture is having dinner.  They are eating spaghetti and meatballs and drinking orange juice.  They are sitting with their family and having a great conversation etc.)

Class Notes:

Amazing: A great thing.  Ex. You are amazing.

Amazement: I watched this with amazement.

Tend: you do it most of the time

Ahmad tends to come to class on time, but today he did not. 

Astonishment: amazing, Ex. The people at the Korean Aquarium watched the big shark eat the smaller shark with astonishment.

 

Using infinitives to explain reasons

I came to ELS to study English.

The big shark ate the small shark to have breakfast.

 

Sentence Structure

My name is Nate.  I am a teacher.  I work at ELS.  I know Mr. Ahmad.  (a simple sentence)

Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but, so, or

My name is Nate, and I am a teacher.  I work at ELS, and I know Mr. Ahmad. 

 

Nate and Ahmad are in the class. 

I ate cereal and yogurt for breakfast.

I ate cereal, yogurt, and fruit for breakfast.

I am happy and thrilled to see you.

I read and write in Mr. Nate’s class.

I am Nate.  I am a teacher.

I am Nate, and I am a teacher.

My name is Nate, and I have Mr. Ahmad in my afternoon class.

Pedro and Salman are in my morning class.

I eat cereal in the morning, and I eat it at night sometimes, also. 

I eat cereal in the morning, and I eat cereal at night.

Pedro, Salman, Dasha, and Ahmad are students in my morning class.

I go to ELS, but I don’t study. 

I ate a lot of food, but I am still hungry. 

I sleep all of the time, but I am always tired. 

I go to ELS, so my English is better. 

I ate a lot of food, so I am not hungry now.

I sleep all of the time, so I feel good. 

 

What are famous cities in Saudi Arabia?

Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Dammam, Jubayl, and Ha’il are famous cities in Saudi Arabia. 

What are the countries of the GCC?

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait are the countries of the GCC.

What countries did you visit in the GCC?

I went to Saudi Arabia last year, and I went to Kuwait the year before.

I will go to Widener or St. Joseph’s. 

Next year, I will study at Widener, or I’ll study at St. Joseph’s.

My wife likes sushi, but I don’t like it. 

My wife likes sushi, so she goes to Japanese restaurants a lot. 

I teach classes in the morning, and I teach in the afternoon as well. 

I didn’t sleep well last night, so I am feeling tired.

I didn’t eat lunch, but I am not hungry.

I will have dinner at a restaurant, or I will cook inside my house.

What should you do in……(any city you want)?

A trip to Philadelphia.

Welcome to Philadelphia!  It is an amazing city, and you will have a great time here.  Here are some tips for you.  First, take English classes at ELS.  The computer class is very nice, so you will learn a lot.  Then, visit famous places, such as the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Art Museum.  Also, eat food at different restaurants.  Buy food at the Reading Terminal Market, or you should eat cheesesteaks at famous restaurants like Pat’s or Geno’s or Jim’s.  Philadelphia also has beautiful parks, such as Fairmount Park and Wissahickon Park, so you should visit them and have a good day.  Finally, Philadelphia is famous for sports, so go to a game at Lincoln Financial Field, Subaru Park, or Citizens Bank Park.  Philly is amazing and fun, and I promise you’ll have a great time! 

 

 

SSP Hong Kong, Things We Can't Live Without

 Class: SSP Hong Kong

Class Objective: Discussing and sharing information about important items/using "that, this, these to point at objects"

Date: June 6, 2024

Warm-up activity: Get in pairs and discuss the most important items or things you have in your

homes and or apartments.   Make a list together.  Compare lists with one another.

Share the lists with the class.

Reading Activity: 

Read P.40-41, “The One Thing I can’t Live Without.”  Discuss the items mentioned on P.40-41.  Do you agree with the list? 

Grammar Activity:

Walk around the class pointing out things with “this, that, and these” to one another.  For example, “this is a compute or these are computers.” 

Show pictures of things from your lives on phones.  Use “this/that/these” to show different things (i.e. “This is my house.  That is my brother,” etc.) 

Film and Discussion, Words on Bathroom Walls Classroom Presentation

 Class: Film and Discussion

Class Objective: Create a program for students with special needs with your classmates 

Date: June 6, 2024

Class Activity:

Create a program for people with special needs, especially related to mental health, and present it to the class.  Get in groups and come up with your own programs/organizations 

Reading and Writing, Chichen Itza

 

Championship: the team that wins the league

Title: winning the championship

Ex. My team won the championship last year.  It was their first title. 

Dominate: to control someone else

My team beat Ahmed’s team 7-0.  We really dominated them. 

Nate is able to speak 7 languages.  This is a testament of his intelligence.

Ahmed came to ELS to study English. 

Mr. Nate works at ELS to teach English to other students to help the world.

 

I am going to the restaurant to eat dinner.

I am going to the café to drink coffee.

I am going to the university to study.

I went to the supermarket to buy food.

I go to my classes to learn English. 

Students go to the SLAC room to play table tennis. 

 

To improve my English, I am taking classes at ELS.

I am taking classes at ELS to improve my English. 

 

To watch a movie, I am going to the cinema.

I am going to the cinema to watch a movie.

 

Riyadh is the capital city of Saudi Arabia.  People go there to do many things.  Here is my advice for you.  First, visit the Kingdom Tower.  Everyday, people go there to eat lunch and do work.  Go to the top of the tower to see an amazing view of the city.

Clark Park is a park in Philadelphia near the SJU campus.  People go there to relax.  Some people go there to play basketball with friends.  Other people go there to use the playground. 

Dunkin is a famous place in the world.  People go there to eat donuts and drink coffee. 

ELS is a famous school in the USA and around the world.  Students go there to study English.  Some students go there to waste time.  For example, some students in SSP class come here to do nothing but look at their phone all day. 

I went to the restaurant to have dinner.

Hi, my name is Ahmed.  I am a student at ELS.  I study here to improve my English.  I take six classes.  I take reading and writing to learn reading and writing, not to make jokes.

 

Question: Why do you go to Dunkin?

 

I am going to the restaurant to eat dinner.

I am going to Dunkin Donuts to drink coffee.

I am going to McDonald’s to eat lunch. 

I am going to ELS to study English.

 

Yesterday, I went home.  After I went home, I had coffee and did work.  Then, I went outside.  I swam in the pool and I went running.  Then, I ate dinner.

Yesterday, I went home.  While I was in the car, I was listening to music. 

Yesterday, I went to my apartment.  While I was in the gym, I was speaking to my mother. 

I called you at 8 PM yesterday, but you did not pick up the phone.  Why not?

I’m sorry Mr. Nate, but I was sleeping. 

 

Later today…..

Eric: Hello Ahmad!  What brings you to my office?

Ahmad: Mr. Eric, I hate my afternoon class.

Eric: Really?  What’s wrong?

Ahmad: While I was in class, Mr. Nate was sleeping.

Eric: Really?

Ahmad: Yeah, and he was snoring, too!

 

 

1.      What were you doing while you were on the airplane coming to the US?

 

2.      Why did you travel to Italy?

SSP Hong Kong, Discussion Questions

 

Class: SSP Hong Kong

Instructor: Mr. Nate Feldman

Class Objective: Use words in discussions

 

1.     What are cheap things you have?  What are expensive things you have?

 

2.      What is important to you?

 

3.     What are things you keep in your room?

 

4.      What place is messy?

 

5.     What is hard for you?

 

6.     What is uncomfortable for you?

 

7.     What is fun for you?

 

8.     What is boring for you?

 

9.     When does it rain cats and dogs in your country?

 

10. When do you get decked out in fancy clothing?

 

11. What makes perfect sense to you?

 

12. What did you pack when you came to the USA?

 

13. What will you do with the rest of the food in your fridge?