See You Next Year!

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Agriculture – The Grocery Store Project: Part II

Remember how agriculture is another word for farming? Today we are going to talk a little more about agriculture.

We are going to have a list of vocabulary words this week that you need to learn. We will have a test next Monday, December 14, 2009 to see if you know – and can use – all of the words.

Vocabulary

1. What do you need in order to grow crops? You need land. Another word for land that you can farm is, you guessed it: farmland.

2. A product is something made to be sold. A product can be anything from a car, to bars of chocolate, to corn. A product can also be work that is finished. For example, when you finish Assignment #3, you will have a finished product.

3. The word produce has a few meanings. Produce can be a verb. To produce something means to make something. When you complete Assignment #3 and post it to your blog, you will have produced some work.

Produce is also a noun that also means crops, such as fruits and vegetables. In the grocery store, when you buy grapes, you are buying one kind of produce that is also a fruit. If you buy corn, you are buying another kind of produce that is a vegetable. When you go to the grocery store, there is a section where the vegetables and fruits are. It’s usually called fresh produce.

4. Value is how much something is worth. For example, a pencil may be valued at 5 cents and a slice of pizza may be valued at $1. Is $1 for a slice of pizza a good value? A person’s apartment in Manhattan, New York City could be valued at more than $1,000,000. What do you think a person is worth? Can you put a value on a person’s life? Look at the supermarket flyer below. What are some good values?

5. Local means close by, in the same state, or the same neighborhood. When you eat grapes from New York State, you are eating fruits that were grown locally.

Picture: Apples locally grown in New York State.

6. An import is a product people buy that comes from far away. When people buy a Lexus, a brand of car, they are buying a product imported from Japan. Also, you can say, China imports a lot of products to the United States. Do you use any products imported from other countries?

7. A market is a place where you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, produce, meats, bread, and drinks, among other things. A market is also a place where goods are bought and sold.

Assignment #3 has two parts. You must write in complete sentence, and use six out of eight vocabulary words.

First, today, you are going to write two paragraphs about a market in your home country. What was the name of the market and where was it located? Talk about the kinds of things that were sold at that market. Where did the food come from? Do you know where the food came from? Was the food local? Were there a lot of imported foods? Was shopping at the market in your country a better value than in the United States? Give five examples of prices for different vegetables, fruits and meats, if you can remember them. If not, just talk about the experience of being in the market. Were there a lot of people? Was it very crowded? How did it smell? How did the food taste? Was the produce fresh?

Second, you are going to go to the supermarket on your own. Describe the produce section. What produce looks fresh? What doesn’t look so fresh? Take down some notes. Write down the names and prices of twenty different items. What state or country did those vegetables and fruits come from? Are any of the fruits and vegetables local? Which vegetables would you buy? What are some good values this week? What vegetables are too expensive? At the end of the trip, please bring back a sales flyer.

Assignment #2: Agriculture in New York Part I

Good morning ESL Students!

Today's vocabulary word is farming. Farming is a job where people grow crops (both vegetables and fruits) or raise animals, such as cows and pigs. Farming is a way to make money.

Farming is an industry. Another word for farming is agriculture.

A farm is a place where vegetables and fruits are grown, and where animals are raised as livestock.

A farmer is a person who works on a farm.

Check out these two farms. Where are these farms located? What are the farmers growing?

New York State also has its own farms. New York State has a multi-million dollar ($$) agriculture industry. New York State is known for its dairy products, especially milk. In New York State, many crops are grown, such as apples and grapes.



Read the handout "A Look at New York Agriculture." Then, using the handout and other Internet resources, please answer the following questions:

Click Here to download the Word file for "New York Farming and Agriculture: Part I"
New York Farming and Agriculture Part I

Directions for Assignment #2:
1. Please write your answers in complete sentences using Word, an Alphasmart3000, or in writing.
2. Then write down, or "cut and paste" [use Command-C] the Internet link where you got the information. At the very least, write the title of the book or website.
3. If you do not finish, please finish this assignment for homework.
4. Publish the questions and answers in your blog as "Assignment #2: New York Agriculture Part I."

Here is a list of Internet resources below. Feel free to add your own:
Google
Dictionary: MSN Encarta
Wikipedia
Dictionary.com
50states.com

This assignment is due by Monday, December 7, 2009.

Unfinished and New Business

Today and Friday we will:

1.) Finish the handout from yesterday about distance. Post your answers in your blog. Title the first entry "Assignment #1: Distance."

2.) Talk about the requirements for our blogs. You can choose to take your blog in many different directions. Click on the picture below for more information.

What is Research?

Dear TASS ESL Students,

What is research? Research is when you look up information from books and websites on the Internet. You can do research at school or at the library. If you have an Internet connection, you can even research at home.

Your "It's Your Road Trip" blogs will require several trips to the library, as well as Internet research. You will be expected to do research at the library for homework.

Hey! Where are you going?

Get a Voki now!

Get your gmail account today! Your gmail account (e-mail for school) should have your first name only, followed by tasstech. For example, if your name is David, your account might read: davidtasstech@gmail.com.

Today's word is distance. Distance is the length of space between two things, people, or places.

One inch = 25.4 millimeters

One foot = 12 inches.

One mile = 5,280 feet!

Google Directions

Directions: Use Google directions (get directions) to find the following distances in miles. Answer all questions using the comment button at the bottom of the entry. USE COMPLETE SENTENCES. If you do not use complete sentences, you will be asked to revise your work.

Questions

1. How far is New York City from Stamford, Connecticut? How long would it take you to get there by subway and train? How long by car? How long if it took you to walk!?

2. What is the distance between 185 First Avenue and the Empire State Building? Can you tell me how to get there? What modes of transportation can you use?

3. If you travel in a car at 55 miles per hour, how long would it take you to get from New York City to Boston, Massachusetts? How did you figure that out?

4. What is the distance between the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City?

5. What times does the Bolt Bus leave from 34th and 8th street (by Tick Tock) in New York City? How many times does the bus leave each day? What time does it arrive at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Cherry Hill Mall)? www.boltbus.com

6. If it costs $$_____ to take the Bolt Bus from New York City to Philadelphia, and the trip is ______ miles long, how much does each mile cost? Is this a good value?

7. How many miles is it from New York City to Sylhet, Bangladesh? How do I get there?

8. How many miles is it from New York City to Changle, China? How do I get there?

9. What is the distance from east coast to the west coast of the United States in miles?

OMG! I am so excited ...

On the Road Again ...

Click on the picture below for the "It's Your Road Trip" Travel Guide!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Click on the Voki to hear the text read aloud.

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Today's words: Transportation and Travel

What is transportation? Transportation is the way people or things move from one place to another.

Travel is a verb that also means going from one place to another. For example, you can use the word "travel" in the following sentence: I am traveling to New Jersey for vacation.

Think about how you will travel when you take your road trip. You can travel from one city to another in many different ways.

You can walk or hike.


You can travel by boat.


You can travel by plane.


You can travel by train.


You can travel by bus.


You can ride your bike.


You can take a taxi.


You can ride in a car. Or, you can drive a car.


Click on the Voki to hear today's assignments read aloud.

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Thought Questions (In Class)

1. Which modes of transportation will get you to where you need to go the quickest?
2. Which modes of transportation are the slowest?
3. Which modes of transportation cost the most?
4. Which modes of transportation cost the least?
5. Name at least three modes of transportation and the pros and cons of each. Meaning, what are some good things, and what are some not so good things about each mode of transportation.

Click here to go to a website about different modes of transportation. Click on each picture -- the word is read out loud.

Homework (In your journal - Due Wednesday morning):
Describe one time you took public transportation (plane, bus, subway, etc.). How was it like? Where were you going? How long did it take get there? What did you see? Write one page in your journal.

Happy Friday!

Today's word is government. All countries, including the United States, have government. Without government or laws in the United States, we wouldn't have any rules to protect our freedoms.

In the United States, cities, states, and counties also have government.

There is one capital in each state. The capital is an important city that is also the official seat of government. That means state laws are passed there. Many government offices are located in the capital.

Do you know what the capital of New York State is? It's Albany.



Chinese translations:

government
laws
rules
protect
county
capital
center of, or seat of government

Bengali translations: Coming in the future

Introduction to Geography

Click play to listen to the Voki read the text below.

Good morning TASS ESL Students! Today's word is geography.

Geography is the study of place. Geographers are people who study the earth's surface. They also study and compare different places in the world. Geographers are interested in finding out about things like weather and climate.

Geographers also study people. They want to know how people adapt or change in places where they live in order to survive.

Facts like population, or how many people live in a certain area, as well as what people's jobs are -- these are facts that interest geographers. The many facts of a place, such as New York City, help to paint a bigger picture of it.



geography, Chinese translation
geographer, Chinese translation
adapt, Chinese translation
survive, Chinese translation

Welcome TASS ESL Students!

Beginning November 23rd, we will begin to create our own blogs online -- our big project for the two-month geography unit in ESL. What is a blog, you might ask? It's an online journal or diary. You can write new entries and stories just as if you were writing in your composition book. But the best thing is, you can also add photographs, videos, and even animations to your writing!

Sound good? OK, let's begin ...

The title of our blog project is "It's Your Road Trip." You will be taking a "road trip" to different regions of the United States. We will begin in the Northeast Region of the United States, in our home state of New York State (see picture). You will start your journey in New York City, branching out to visit five out of the nine states in the Northeast.



If you wish, you may also begin your journey in your home country, exploring different parts of the country for several blog entries. Maybe you miss home and want to see your family first? Or maybe you'd like to visit some places you haven't been to in awhile? Afterwards, you can come back to the United States and begin exploring the Northeast.

Can you find New York City on this map?

We may update this blog throughout the year with more of our travels. But for the next two months -- from December to the end of January -- we will be focusing on geography vocabulary and skills, social studies, and even science and math. We'll learn how to read maps, how to do library and Internet research, how to plan an itinerary, what kinds of transportation exist, among other things. But most importantly, we'll improve our writing skills in a fun, thoughtful, and creative way -- by making our own travel story in real-time.

Please Read: For teachers and administrators only

The TASSTECH ESL blog serves as a resource for the ESL class. Currently, the blog is supporting a two-month ESL unit on geography, but may be used for other subjects in the future.

During the months of December and January, the ESL class will be working on a geography unit about the United States. Students will be learning vocabulary words and content related to geography, politics, social studies, mathematics, and science.

The blog will also serve as a resource for the student project entitled "It's Your Road Trip." After attaining background knowledge and performing both Internet and library research, students will create their own travel blog, or online diary. They will "visit" different states and cities in America. They will recount facts about the area and talk about their experience visiting different cities, buildings, parks, restaurants, and museums. They will describe the people they meet, as well as the weather and terrain of the places they visit. They will plan an itinerary for travel and lodging. But as with any trip -- students may also sometimes get lost! But not to worry -- all bloggers are traveling within the safety of school and home.

Although the TASSTECH blog is open to the world, the student blogs will be restricted to students, teachers, parents, administrators, and approved persons during the drafting stages. No private or personal information, including name, school, home address, etc. will be allowed on the blog for personal safety reasons. After the final draft is approved, the blogs may be published online for public viewing.

Our first road trip will take place in the Northeastern region of the United States. It will begin in New York City, and branch out from there. Students will choose five out of the nine states to visit, including two major cities and the capital of each state.